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Enhancing Online Support Group Formation Using Topic Modeling Techniques

Barman, Pronob Kumar, Reynolds, Tera L., Foulds, James

arXiv.org Machine Learning

Online health communities (OHCs) are vital for fostering peer support and improving health outcomes. Support groups within these platforms can provide more personalized and cohesive peer support, yet traditional support group formation methods face challenges related to scalability, static categorization, and insufficient personalization. To overcome these limitations, we propose two novel machine learning models for automated support group formation: the Group specific Dirichlet Multinomial Regression (gDMR) and the Group specific Structured Topic Model (gSTM). These models integrate user generated textual content, demographic profiles, and interaction data represented through node embeddings derived from user networks to systematically automate personalized, semantically coherent support group formation. We evaluate the models on a large scale dataset from MedHelp, comprising over 2 million user posts. Both models substantially outperform baseline methods including LDA, DMR, and STM in predictive accuracy (held out log likelihood), semantic coherence (UMass metric), and internal group consistency. The gDMR model yields group covariates that facilitate practical implementation by leveraging relational patterns from network structures and demographic data. In contrast, gSTM emphasizes sparsity constraints to generate more distinct and thematically specific groups. Qualitative analysis further validates the alignment between model generated groups and manually coded themes, showing the practical relevance of the models in informing groups that address diverse health concerns such as chronic illness management, diagnostic uncertainty, and mental health. By reducing reliance on manual curation, these frameworks provide scalable solutions that enhance peer interactions within OHCs, with implications for patient engagement, community resilience, and health outcomes.


Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,432

Al Jazeera

Could Ukraine hold a presidential election right now? Will Europe use frozen Russian assets to fund war? How can Ukraine rebuild China ties? 'Ukraine is running out of men, money and time' More than 1,300 apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, were still without heating following Russia's missile and drone attacks on Saturday, according to Mayor Vitalii Klitschko. Over the past week alone, Russia launched more than 1,700 attack drones, at least 1,380 guided aerial bombs, and 69 missiles on Ukraine, mainly targeting the energy sector, critical infrastructure, and residential buildings, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.


Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,377

Al Jazeera

What is in the 28-point US plan for Ukraine? 'Ukraine is running out of men, money and time' Can the US get all sides to end the war? Why is Europe opposing Trump's peace plan? Zelenskyy says US peace plan'looks better' with new revisions Here's where things stand on Tuesday, December 2: Russian forces launched a ballistic missile on Ukraine's Dnipro, killing four people and wounding 40 others, according to Ukrainian authorities. Russia claimed the capture of the strategic eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk, the logistics hub that has been under attack for months by Moscow's forces.


Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,345

Al Jazeera

Trump-Xi meeting: Who has the upper hand? Could Trump go for a third term? Is the US eyeing its next Latin American target? Why is Trump tearing down parts of the White House? Russia's Ministry of Defence said its forces took control of the villages of Krasnohirske in Ukraine's Zaporizhia region and Sadove in the Kharkiv region, Russian state news agencies reported.


Russia violates NATO airspace in Lithuania amid Putin warning on long-range missiles

FOX News

President Gitanas Nausėda called Russian aircraft incursion into Lithuanian territory a blatant breach of international law as NATO jets responded quickly.


As NATO-Russia tensions rise, Lithuania prepares for conflict

Al Jazeera

Can Ukraine restore its pre-war borders? Why are Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine a'red line' for Russia? Is Russia testing NATO with aerial incursions in Europe? Lithuania, a small Baltic state bordering Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad, is adapting to new tensions between NATO and Moscow. A member of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union takes part in a military exercise in central Lithuania [Nils Adler/Al Jazeera] Two members of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union take part in a military exercise in central Lithuania [Nils Adler/Al Jazeera] On a nearby building is an illuminated decorative Z, a symbol used to show support for the Russian military's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.


Five killed across Ukraine in overnight Russian attacks

Al Jazeera

Can Ukraine restore its pre-war borders? Why are Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine a'red line' for Russia? Is Russia testing NATO with aerial incursions in Europe? Five people have been killed in Ukraine after Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles across the country overnight, which officials said targeted civilian infrastructure. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia fired approximately 50 missiles and 500 attack drones.


Nato strengthens defences after Russian drones shot down over Poland

BBC News

Nato members are sending troops, artillery, and air defence systems to secure its eastern flank after what Poland called an unprecedented Russian drone incursion into its airspace. In the early hours of Wednesday, three Russian drones were shot down after crossing into Polish airspace. Other drones crashed to the ground and were later found across eastern Poland. Poland has requested a UN Security Council session about the incident, which will take place on Friday at 19:00 GMT. In response to the drone incursion, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic said they would send defences to Poland, while Lithuania would receive a German brigade and greater warning of Russian attacks on Ukraine that could cross over.


New Romanian law may have averted NATO clash with Russia after border strikes

FOX News

Russia hit pipelines in Ukraine, sparking bright flames and plumes of smoke seen from Romania. Russia narrowly avoided an armed skirmish with Romania, a member of the NATO alliance, after striking just a half mile from its border. Romanian defense officials believe the new law passed by parliament explicitly allowing its armed forces to shoot down Russian drones that fly over its territory prevented the Kremlin from incurring on its territory. Russia struck a gas distribution center in the Ismail Area of Ukraine with Shahed kamikaze drones on Tuesday and Wednesday, so close to Romania's border that Bucharest deployed F-16 aircraft to monitor. No unauthorized intrusions were reported.


Belarus says it thwarted attempted Lithuanian drone strikes; Vilnius rebuffs claims

FOX News

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. A top security official in Belarus claimed Thursday that the country has prevented attempted drone strikes from Lithuania targeting the Belarusian capital and surrounding areas. He did not present evidence for the claim or give any details. He also said that "radicals" in Lithuania and Poland are producing drones to attack Belarus.

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