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The aim of this study was to predict university students' learning performance using different sources of data from an Intelligent Tutoring System. We collected and preprocessed data from 40 students from different multimodal sources: learning strategies from system logs, emotions from face recording videos, interaction zones from eye tracking, and test performance from final knowledge evaluation. Our objective was to test whether the prediction could be improved by using attribute selection and classification ensembles. We carried out three experiments by applying six classification algorithms to numerical and discretized preprocessed multimodal data. The results show that the best predictions were produced using ensembles and selecting the best attributes approach with numerical data.

In the standard model of cosmology, the background evolution of the Universe can in general be adequately described by general relativity and a uniform and isotropic metric minimally coupled with a collection of perfect fluids. These fluids are usually described by their energy-momentum tensor, which can be derived from the fluid's Lagrangian density. Under general relativity, the Lagrangian density is only relevant to the extent that it results in the correct energy-momentum tensor for a specific perfect fluid. This is not the case in theories that feature a nonminimal coupling (NMC) between the matter fields and gravity. In such cases, the on-shell Lagrangian density of the matter fields appears explicitly in the equations of motion, in addition to their energy-momentum tensor. The determination of the correct on-shell Lagrangian density for a particular fluid is therefore of paramount importance in order to provide an accurate description of the corresponding cosmological implications. In essence, this is the problem tackled in this thesis. We have aimed at addressing three key points. We covered some of the results in the literature regarding the Lagrangian density of cosmic fluids, and cleared up some misunderstandings regarding the freedom of choice (or lack thereof) of its on-shell form, both in general relativity and in theories featuring an NMC. In addition, we derived the correct Lagrangian density for fluids composed of solitonic particles with fixed rest mass and structure. Secondly, we studied the thermodynamic behaviour of perfect fluids of this type in the context of theories featuring an NMC between gravity and the matter fields. Finally, we used these results to derive novel cosmological constraints on specific NMC gravity models, using data from cosmic microwave background, big-bang nucleosynthesis, type Ia supernovae and baryon acoustic oscillations observations., Comment: 147 pages, 3 tables, 15 figures, PhD thesis submitted to the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, Successfully defended on 2022-06-23

In the context of general relativity, both energy and linear momentum constraints lead to the same equation for the evolution of the speed of free localized particles with fixed proper mass and structure in a homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker universe. In this paper we extend this result by considering the dynamics of particles and fluids in the context of theories of gravity nonminimally coupled to matter. We show that the equation for the evolution of the linear momentum of the particles may be obtained irrespective of any prior assumptions regarding the form of the on-shell Lagrangian of the matter fields. We also find that consistency between the evolution of the energy and linear momentum of the particles requires that their volume-averaged on-shell Lagrangian and energy-momentum tensor trace coincide ($\mathcal L_{\rm on-shell}=T$). We further demonstrate that the same applies to an ideal gas composed of many such particles. This result implies that the two most common assumptions in the literature for the on-shell Lagrangian of a perfect fluid ($\mathcal L_{\rm on-shell}=\mathcal{P}$ and $\mathcal L_{\rm on-shell}=-\rho$, where $\rho$ and $\mathcal{P}$ are the proper density and pressure of the fluid, respectively) do not apply to an ideal gas, except in the case of dust (in which case $T=-\rho$)., Comment: 8 pages, no figures

We show that gravitational theories with a nonminimal coupling (NMC) to the matter fields lead to a violation of Etherington's distance-duality relation, which relates the luminosity and angular diameter distances. We derive constraints on power-law and exponential NMC models using existing measurements of type Ia supernovae and baryon acoustic oscillations throughout the redshift range $0

We investigate the appropriateness of the use of different Lagrangians to describe various components of the cosmic energy budget, discussing the degeneracies between them in the absence of nonminimal couplings to gravity or other fields, and clarifying some misconceptions in the literature. We further demonstrate that these degeneracies are generally broken for nonminimal coupled fluids, in which case the identification of the appropriate on-shell Lagrangian may become essential in order characterize the overall dynamics. We then show that models with the same on-shell Lagrangian may have different proper energy densities and use this result to map dark energy models into unified dark energy models in which dark matter and dark energy are described by the same perfect fluid. We determine the correspondence between their equation of state parameters and sound speeds, briefly discussing the linear sound speed problem of unified dark energy models as well as a possible way out associated to the nonlinear dynamics., Comment: 14 pages. v3: minor corrections. Matches published version

In this paper we demonstrate that Boltzmann's $H$-theorem does not necessarily hold in the context of theories of gravity with nonminimally coupled matter fields. We find sufficient conditions for the violation of Boltzmann's $H$-theorem and derive an expression for the evolution of Boltzmann's $H$ in terms of the nonminimal coupling function, valid in the case of a collisionless gas in a homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker universe. We highlight the implications of this result for the evolution of the entropy of the matter fields, briefly discussing the role played by collisions between particles whenever they are relevant. We also suggest a possible link between the high entropy of the Universe and the weakness of gravity in the context of these theories., Comment: 7 pages, no figures. Clarifications added, typos corrected. Results unchanged

In the present work we show that the second law of thermodynamics does not generally hold if the matter and gravitational fields are nonminimally coupled. We demonstrate this result by explicitly computing the evolution of the entropy of the matter fields in the case of a closed homogeneous and isotropic universe filled with dust and radiation, showing that, in this case, the sign of the entropy variation is determined by the evolution of the universe. The preservation of the second law of thermodynamics in these modified theories would require its generalization to account for a gravitational entropy contribution., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures

There is a growing acknowledgement in the scientific community of the importance of making experimental data machine findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). Recognizing that high quality metadata are essential to make datasets FAIR, members of the GO FAIR Initiative and the Research Data Alliance (RDA) have initiated a series of workshops to encourage the creation of Metadata for Machines (M4M), enabling any self-identified stakeholder to define and promote the reuse of standardized, comprehensive machine-actionable metadata. The funders of scientific research recognize that they have an important role to play in ensuring that experimental results are FAIR, and that high quality metadata and careful planning for FAIR data stewardship are central to these goals. We describe the outcome of a recent M4M workshop that has led to a pilot programme involving two national science funders, the Health Research Board of Ireland (HRB) and the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMW). These funding organizations will explore new technologies to define at the time that a request for proposals is issued the minimal set of machine-actionable metadata that they would like investigators to use to annotate their datasets, to enable investigators to create such metadata to help make their data FAIR, and to develop data-stewardship plans that ensure that experimental data will be managed appropriately abiding by the FAIR principles. The FAIR Funders design envisions a data-management workflow having seven essential stages, where solution providers are openly invited to participate. The initial pilot programme will launch using existing computer-based tools of those who attended the M4M Workshop., Comment: This is a pre-print of the FAIR Funders pilot, an outcome of the first Metadata for Machines workshop, see: https://www.go-fair.org/resources/go-fair-workshop-series/metadata-for-machines-workshops/. Corresponding author: E. A Schultes, ORCID 0000-0001-8888-635X

In extended models of gravity a nonminimal coupling to matter has been assumed to lead to irreversible particle creation. In this paper we challenge this assumption. We argue that a non-minimal coupling of the matter and gravitational sectors results in a change in particle-momentum on a cosmological timescale, irrespective of particle creation or decay. We further argue that particle creation or decay associated with a non-minimal coupling to gravity could only happen as a result of significant deviations from a homogeneous Friedmann-Robertson-Walker geometry on microscopic scales, and provide a phenomenological description of the impact of particle creation or decay on the cosmological evolution of the density of the matter fields., Comment: 5 pages, resubmited to more closely resemble published version

In this paper we show that the baryon-to-photon ratio $\eta$ is in general not conserved before decoupling in non-minimally coupled theories of gravity. We use big-bang nucleosynthesis and cosmic microwave background limits on the baryon-to-photon ratio $\eta$ to derive new constraints on modified gravity theories with a universal non-minimal coupling between matter and curvature, showing that they rule out a specific class of models previously considered in the literature as a substitute for the dark matter. We also compare these new constraints with the ones obtained from the COBE-FIRAS limits on CMB spectral distortions, highlighting the complementarity between them., Comment: 6 pages

In this paper we show that the on-shell Lagrangian of a perfect fluid depends on microscopic properties of the fluid, giving specific examples of perfect fluids with different on-shell Lagrangians but with the same energy-momentum tensor. We demonstrate that if the fluid is constituted by localized concentrations of energy with fixed rest mass and structure (solitons) then the average on-shell Lagrangian of a perfect fluid is given by ${\mathcal L}_m=T$, where $T$ is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. We show that our results have profound implications for theories of gravity where the matter Lagrangian appears explicitly in the equations of motion of the gravitational and matter fields, potentially leading to observable deviations from a nearly perfect cosmic microwave background black body spectrum: $n$-type spectral distortions, affecting the normalization of the spectral energy density. Finally, we put stringent constraints on $f(R,{\mathcal L}_m)$ theories of gravity using the COBE-FIRAS measurement of the spectral radiance of the cosmic microwave background., Comment: 6 pages, no figures, matches published version

Cosmic strings are topological defects possibly formed in the early Universe, which may be observable due to their gravitational effects on the cosmic microwave background radiation or gravitational wave experiments. To this effect it is important to quantitatively ascertain the network properties, including their density, velocity or the number of strings present, at the various epochs in the observable Universe. Attempts to estimate these numbers often rely on simplistic approximations for the string parameters, such as assuming that the network is scaling. However, in cosmological models containing realistic amounts of radiation, matter and dark energy a string network is never exactly scaling. Here we use the velocity-dependent one-scale model for the evolution of a string network to better quantify how these networks evolve. In particular we obtain new approximate analytic solutions for the behavior of the network during the radiation-to-matter and matter-to-acceleration transitions (assuming, in the latter case, the canonical $\Lambda$ cold dark matter model), and numerically calculate the relevant quantities for a range of possible dark energy models., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures

In this work a new non-minimally coupled model is presented, where a generic function $f(R)$ of the scalar curvature factors the usual Einstein-Hilbert action functional, motivated by relevant results obtained from similar models. Its cosmological dynamics are derived and the possibility of attaining a phase of accelerated expansion is assessed. To further probe the possible implications of the model, a dynamical system formulation is established, and used to assess the scenarios where $f(R)$ assumes a power-law or exponential form., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables

In this work, we use a dynamical system approach to analyse the viability of $f(R,\mathcal{L})$ candidates for dark energy. We compare these with nonminimal coupled $f(R)$ theories and study the solutions for exponential and power-law forms in order to constraint the allowed range of model parameters., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, Published in Phys. Rev. D

We use a lattice gas cellular automata model in the presence of random dynamic scattering sites and quenched disorder in the two-phase immiscible model with the aim of producing an interface dynamics similar to that observed in Hele-Shaw cells. The dynamics of the interface is studied as one fluid displaces the other in a clean lattice and in a lattice with quenched disorder. For the clean system, if the fluid with a lower viscosity displaces the other, we show that the model exhibits the Saffman-Taylor instability phenomenon, whose features are in very good agreement with those observed in real (viscous) fluids. In the system with quenched disorder, we obtain estimates for the growth and roughening exponents of the interface width in two cases: viscosity-matched fluids and the case of unstable interface. The first case is shown to be in the same universality class of the random deposition model with surface relaxation. Moreover, while the early-time dynamics of the interface behaves similarly, viscous fingers develop in the second case with the subsequent production of bubbles in the context of a complex dynamics. We also identify the Hurst exponent of the subdiffusive fractional Brownian motion associated with the interface, from which we derive its fractal dimension and the universality classes related to a percolation process., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures

In this paper, we analyze the temporal evolution of the age-dependent force of infection and incidence of rubella, after the introduction of a very specific vaccination programme in a previously nonvaccinated population where rubella was in endemic steady state. We deduce an integral equation for the age-dependent force of infection, which depends on a number of parameters that can be estimated from the force of infection in steady state prior to the vaccination program. We present the results of our simulations, which are compared with observed data. We also examine the influence of contact patterns among members of a community on the age-dependent intensity of transmission of rubella and on the results of vaccination strategies. As an example of the theory proposed, we calculate the effects of vaccination strategies for four communities from Caieiras (Brazil), Huixquilucan (Mexico), Finland and the United Kingdom. The results for each community differ considerably according to the distinct intensity and pattern of transmission in the absence of vaccination. We conclude that this simple vaccination program is not very efficient (very slow) in the goal of eradicating the disease. This gives support to a mixed strategy, proposed by Massad et al., accepted and implemented by the government of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil., Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures

TW Hydrae shows significant radial-velocity variations in the optical regime. They have been attributed to a 10 Jupiter Mass planet orbiting the star at 0.04 AU. In this work, we have tested whether the observed RV variations can be caused by stellar spots. We have also analyzed new optical and infrared data to confirm the signal of the planet companion. We fitted the RV variations of TW Hya using a cool spot model. Our model shows that a cold spot covering 7% of the stellar surface and located at a latitude of 54 deg can reproduce the reported RV variations. The model also predicts a bisector semi-amplitude variation <10 m/s, which is less than the errors of the RV measurements discussed in an earlier publication. The analysis of new optical RV data, with typical errors of 10 m/s, shows a larger RV amplitude that varies depending on the correlation mask used. A slight correlation between the RV variation and the bisector is also observed, although not at a very significant level. The infrared H-band RV curve is almost flat, showing a small variation (<35 m/s) that is not consistent with the optical orbit. All these results support the spot scenario rather than the presence of a hot Jupiter around TW Hya., Comment: accepted for publication in A&A

We study the formation of the calcium II infrared triplet lines 8498\AA, 8542\AA and 8662\AA, in the accreting magnetospheric flows of Classical T Tauri stars (CTTS), and present a grid of models for a large range of magnetospheric conditions. We apply our models to the interpretation of multi epoch observations of the CTTS DI Cep. We find that these lines form in the magnetospheric infall and that the variability of the CaII triplet lines in DI Cep can be explained in the context of changes in the mass accretion rate/temperature of the accretion column gas.

In this work we study the energy dependence of the $J/\psi-K^*$ dissociation cross section, using a meson exchange model based on effective hadronic Lagrangian that includes couplings between pseudoscalar and vector mesons. We also consider anomalous parity terms. Off-shell effects at the vertices were handled with QCD sum rule estimates for the running coupling constants, and we compare the results with and without form factors. We also study the $J/\psi-\rho$ cross section with form factors. The total $J/\psi-K^*$ cross section was found to be $1.6 \sim1.9$ mb for $4.2\leq\sqrt{s}\leq5~\GeV$., Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures

We calculate the cross section for the dissociation of $J/\psi$ by kaons within the framework of a meson exchange model including anomalous parity interactions. Off-shell effects at the vertices were handled with QCD sum rule estimates for the running coupling constants. The total $J/\psi$-kaon cross section was found to be $1.0 \sim1.6$ mb for $4.1\leq\sqrt{s}\leq5 \GeV$., Comment: 13 pages, 4 eps figures

We calculate the cross section for the dissociation of $J/\psi$ by kaons within the framework of a meson exchange model. We find that, depending on the values of the coupling constants used, the cross section can vary from 5 mb to 30 mb at $\sqrt{s}\sim5$ GeV., Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figures

This paper takes the position that the completion of the Internal Market Programme of the European Community will require free movement of persons, goods, capital, and services, which, in turn, will require a service infrastructure that enables fast and reliable flows between the Member States. The paper begins by explaining the rationale and overall objectives of the Transeuropean Networks at the Community level with emphasis on the university sector and its potential partners, the added value of the linking effect between the training resources inside the Community in terms of networks, and networked training activities as a valuable means of technology and knowledge transfer across the Community. It is noted that the skills, versatility, and performance of the present and future workforce will be key factors in making the internal market work fully as from January 1993, and three current joint trans-European partnerships in the field of initial and advanced continuing training--COMETT, LINGUA, and ERASMUS--are discussed. The main model that has been developed is analyzed, showing that its main nucleus remains the university structures with other universities or industries as potential variables. The paper concludes with discussions of three networking formats and their role in the development of European Community programs: (1) networks among partners used to complete a training project; (2) information exchange networks; and (3) telematic networks for open distance learning. (Contains 8 references.) (ALF)