Interpreting Test Data Research Articles

27 Examining the Relationship Between Spanish-English Bilingualism and Digit Span Performance

Objective:Bilingualism has shown to have significant implications for neuropsychological assessment, namely, the Digit Span task. Moreover, bilingual individuals have been shown to exhibit both advantages and disadvantages on Digit Span; however, the relationship between bilingualism and performance on this subtest is poorly understood. This research aims to better understand how Hispanic Spanish-English bilinguals perform on this commonly administered working memory subtest.Participants and Methods:Participants included 82 Hispanic Spanish-English bilinguals [Age: M=29.11 (SD=6.369); Education: M=15.68 (SD=2.255); 53.7% female]. The participants completed the Language and Social Background Questionnaire (LSBQ; composite factor scores) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale -Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) Digit Span (raw scores) subtest via Zoom, an online video conferencing platform. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was utilized to predict participants’ Digit Span performance based on their LSBQ composite factor scores. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted using SPSS Version 27.Results:LSBQ composite factor scores significantly predicted Digit Span Forward, F (3, 78) = 1.835, p < 0.43 (R2 = .030) and Longest Digit Span Forward, F (1, 78) = 4.02, p < 0.48 (R2 = .041) scores. LSBQ composite factor scores did not significantly predict Digit Span Backward, F (3, 78) = .344, p = .941, Digit Span Sequencing, F (3, 78) = .598, p = .731, Digit Span Total, F (3, 78) = .440, p = 0.296, Longest Digit Span Backward, F (3, 78) = .510, p = .666, or Longest Digit Span sequencing F (3, 78) = .200, p = .751 scores.Conclusions:Results suggest that Hispanic Spanish-English bilinguals perform worse on Digit Span Forward and Longest Digit Span Forward as their bilingual experiences increase. However, bilingual experiences did not significantly predict Digit Span Backward, Digit Span Sequencing, Digit Span Total, Longest Digit Span Backward, or Longest Digit Span Sequencing scores. The contrasts in Digit Span performance may be attributed to the different ways in which each condition of the subtest is cognitively processed. Therefore, clinicians and researchers should use caution when interpreting test data for Digit Span with Hispanic Spanish-English bilinguals.

Cognitive differences between healthy monolingual and bilingual anglophones on the English version of the Dépistage Cognitif de Québec: A new screening tool for atypical dementia

Aims and Objectives: Cognitive abilities between monolingual and bilingual individuals may differ, making it an important factor to consider during the administration of cognitive screening tools. Otherwise, assessments could be subject to misinterpretation, leading to possible inaccurate diagnoses. The current project aimed to compare cognitive performance of healthy older monolingual and bilingual anglophones on the English version of a new cognitive screening test designed for better recognition of atypical dementia: the Dépistage Cognitif de Québec (DCQ; www.dcqtest.org ). Design: The DCQ was administered by qualified psychometricians to 85 native English-speaking participants aged 50 years and over, in various sites across Canada. Language proficiency was established using the Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to exclude individuals with cognitive impairments. Data and Analysis: Amid the anglophone participants recruited, 30 monolingual anglophones and 29 bilingual anglophones (English and French) met inclusion criteria. Groups had similar age, education, and MoCA scores. Monolinguals and bilinguals were compared on their total DCQ scores and each of the five DCQ indexes: Memory, Visuospatial, Executive, Language, and Behavioural. Findings: The bilingual participants performed better on the Language Index, which contributed to the significant bilingual advantage for the overall DCQ scores. When applying a Bonferroni correction, the differences between groups were, however, not maintained. No differences were found on any of the other indexes. Originality: This study is the first to explore psychometric properties of the DCQ in older monolingual and bilingual participants tested in their native language. Implications: Results highlight the importance of identifying and characterizing linguistic diversity before using new screening tools in clinical settings. The potential cognitive advantages of bilingualism should be considered when interpreting test data and explicitly discussed in neuropsychological reports.

Should Blind Evaluation of Polygraph Charts Be a Mandatory Procedure in Evidentiary Examinations?

Abstract The article considers the advantages of blind interpretation of polygraph charts in the context of subjectivity in polygraph examinations. The purpose of this article is to provoke a discussion on the inclusion of blind scoring in evidentiary examinations as a standard procedure. Resorting to such a method should curb the impact of cognitive bias on interpreting test data as it has been proved empirically that information on the case facts and the examinee, provided to the examiner before the examination, may influence the subsequent interpretation of the charts.

How Significant Are Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 Test Findings When Only an N2 Gene Is Detected?

The rapid identification of patients infected with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is critical to operating emergency rooms effectively. Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 (Xpert) assays are increasingly being used in the rapid screening of COVID-19. We evaluated the clinical performance of Xpert by comparing findings with those of qRT-PCR evaluations and included the clinical features of patients visiting the emergency department. Positive results with Xpert testing (n = 370) were compared with qRT-PCR findings, demonstrating a 91.9% intertest agreement. We reviewed the subsequent COVID-19 test results and SARS-CoV-2 infection histories for individuals showing discrepancies in Xpert and qRT-PCR testing and determined whether the findings were true-positive or false-positive. The true-positive rate for Xpert testing was 95.4% (353/370); the remaining 17 samples (4.6%) were false-positive. All false-positive data for Xpert testing showed N2 signals amplified to Ct values of ≥40 with no E gene signals. Rapid Xpert testing is highly sensitive and shows a good performance overall in challenging situations, such as an emergency room. However, we considered the possibility of false-positive Xpert results given an N2 gene signal only, especially given high Ct values. We recommend interpreting test data with caution and considering retesting over time.

Cognitive differences between healthy monolingual and bilingual anglophones on the English version of the Dépistage Cognitif de Québec: A new screening tool for atypical dementia

AbstractBackgroundCognitive abilities between monolingual and bilingual individuals may differ, making it important to validate new cognitive screening tools using psychometric testing. Otherwise assessments could be subject to misinterpretation, leading to inaccurate diagnoses. The current project aimed to compare healthy older monolingual and bilingual anglophones on the English version of a new cognitive screening test designed for better recognition of atypical dementia; the Dépistage Cognitif de Québec (DCQ, www.dcqtest.org). The DCQ was developed at la Clinique Interdisciplinaire de mémoire de Québec, and its psychometric properties have been well studied, including its sensitivity and specificity to detect atypical dementia compared to current standardized cognitive screening tests (Laforce et al., 2018; Sellami et al., 2018).MethodsThe DCQ was administered by qualified psychometricians to 85 healthy native English‐speaking participants aged 50 years and over, in various sites across North America. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to determine participants’ eligibility. Language proficiency was established using the Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP‐Q).ResultsAmidst the anglophone participants recruited, 30 monolingual anglophones and 29 bilingual anglophones met the inclusion criteria. The two groups had similar age, education and MoCA scores. Monolinguals and bilinguals were compared on their total DCQ scores as well as on each of the 5 indexes of the DCQ: Memory, Visuospatial, Executive, Language and Behavioural. Statistical analysis showed a significant advantage for the bilingual participants on the total DCQ scores and on the Language index, which was later washed out following a Bonferroni correction. No significant differences were found between groups on any of the other indexes.ConclusionThis study is the first to explore psychometric properties of the DCQ in older monolingual and bilingual participants tested in their native language. The results highlight the importance of identifying and characterizing linguistic diversity before using new screening tools in clinical settings. The potential cognitive advantages of bilingualism, even in healthy older adults, should be considered when interpreting test data and explicitly discussed in neuropsychological reports. Similar studies should be conducted for all future cognitive screening measures, especially to further examine the differences between groups on language‐related tasks.

Weighted residual approach to constant strain rate test

This note presents a virtual displacement approach to analyze the constant rate of strain consolidation test. It yields simplified “exact” equations within the weighted residual context for interpreting test data. Equations corresponding to larger time factors are similar to those presented in the literature, although the transient effects are clearer than in previous formulations. An advantage of the framework is that assumptions concerning the uniformity of properties through a sample can be relaxed. The derivation shows that E must be constant for the coefficient of consolidation to be independent of position. Depending on the sequencing of sublayers, it is shown that basal pore pressure can be higher or lower for layered media compared with uniform material when allowing E to vary, even though cvis kept constant.

Towards improved models of shear strength degradation in reinforced concrete members

Existing models for the shear strength degradation of reinforced concrete members present varied conceptual approaches to interpreting test data. The relative superiority of one approach over the others is difficult to determine, particularly given the sparseness of ideal test data. Nevertheless, existing models are compared using a suite of test data that were used for the development of one such model, and significant differences emerge. Rather than relying purely on column test data, the body of knowledge concerning degradation of concrete as a material is considered. Confined concrete relations are examined to infer details of the degradation process, and to establish a framework for developing phenomenologically-based models for shear strength degradation in reinforced concrete members. The possibility of linking column shear strength degradation with material degradation phenomena is explored with a simple model. The model is applied to the results of 7 column tests, and it is found that such a link is sustainable. It is expected that models founded on material degradation phenomena will be more reliable and more broadly applicable than the current generation of empirical shear strength degradation models.

Estimation of Permeability of Disturbed Halite Using Inverse Modeling

AbstractThe numerical modeling tool ITOUGH2 was examined to determine its effectiveness in parameter estimation for the small scale seals performance tests (SSSPT) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Gas flow injection tests were performed at various distances inward from the wall of Room D to estimate the effects of creeping of the disturbed rock zone (DRZ) since excavation of Room D and boreholes, and to estimate the amount of healing of the DRZ that has taken place due to an emplaced concrete seal. Salt creeping into an excavation is expected to show increased porosity and absolute permeability values compared to undisturbed halite. Healed halite is expected to show porosity and absolute permeability values comparable to that of undisturbed halite. Single‐phase flow estimates of absolute permeability were made using ITOUGH2. Estimates of DRZ absolute permeability ranged from 10−11 near Room D to 10−21 m2 at the seal. Simultaneous estimates of absolute permeability and porosity were calculated for the disturbed rock zone in halite, and the effects of salt creep and healing were seen in the estimates of porosity and absolute permeability, as evidenced by the differences in absolute permeability and porosity with distance inward from the rib of Room D. Estimate of porosity were 0.04 near Room D, and the locations near the seal showed porosities of around 0.03. ITOUGH2 proved effective in interpreting test data seen in the SSSPT, especially test data with constant injection pressure.

Toward a design methodology for equipment emulators in the shock testing of large structures

In a variety of situations, an undesired shock excitation is applied to a master structure which supports shock-sensitive equipment. Often, one wishes to design and test a master structure which transmits the least amount of shock energy to the attached equipment. In scaled testing of new designs, a major task is to design and construct ‘‘equipment emulators,’’ inexpensive mechanical systems which approximately mimic the dynamic behavior of the actual full-scale equipment as seen by the master structure. This presentation will present new methodologies for designing equipment emulators, assessing their fidelity, and interpreting test data taken in the presence of imperfect emulators. Starting with frequency-domain impedance descriptions of the master structure and actual equipment at the attachment points, this work develops sensitivity metrics which directly relate the fidelity of the emulator to its structural complexity. These ideas may provide a path by which experimentalists can efficiently arrive at conceptual designs of emulators which promise a specified degree of fidelity in terms of system velocities and their associated shock spectra. The ideas are illustrated on simple examples and applied to the emulation of commercial-grade electronic cabinets for the testing of novel ship deck structures. [Work supported by ONR.]

The use of colour graphics to show streamlines in two dimensional flow

Interpreting test data or a mathematical function is often aided by plotting results in the form of contours. Many routines are available to accomplish this, but if a qualitative survey of the data is sufficient then a simple method can be employed using the basic colour screen graphics facilities found on personal computers. The principles of the method are described in this note.To form a set of contours a base area of the function plane must be defined and the method uses the screen as this base area.

Optical saturation and extraction from the chemical oxygen-iodine laser medium

A rate equation model for the loaded gain of a flowing chemical oxygen-iodine laser is described. It includes pumping of the upper laser level by O/sub 2/(/sup 1/ Delta ), deactivation by water and energy pooling with O/sub 2/(/sup 1/ Delta ), stimulated emission on the 3 to 4 transition, hyperfine relaxation (HFR) of the /sup 2/P/sub 1/2/ and /sup 2/P/sub 3/2/ iodine sublevels, and velocity cross-relaxation (VCR) of the iodine atoms. The solution of the model is obtained for the loaded gain when the medium is stimulated by a multimode field. It is shown that optical saturation of the COIL medium is governed by three parameters: the ratio of the collision to Doppler linewidth measuring how much of the total linewidth is accessed; a saturation parameter measuring the field strength required to overcome medium quenching; and a cross-relaxation parameter measuring the ability of the velocity and hyperfine relaxation to restore homogeneity to the transition. Criteria for the saturation character, homogeneous, inhomogeneous, or mixed, are established. It is shown that there are medium conditions for which conventional measures of the transition homogeneity would indicate inhomogeneous behavior when, in fact, the behavior is distinctly homogeneous. This gain model is used to parametrically examine the sensitivity of the loaded gain and optical extraction efficiency to cavity pressure and to the uncertainty in the magnitude of the velocity cross-relaxation rates. It is shown, under single-mode operating conditions, that the extraction efficiency increases as the rate of velocity cross-relaxation increases and that the saturation behavior of the medium can be totally changed by only modest changes in the cavity operating conditions. The implications when interpreting experimental data and scaling from low to high power operation are briefly discussed and it is shown that interpreting test data without consideration of the factors presented here can lead to substantial error in estimating the power available from the flow. The approach used to estimate the velocity cross-relaxation rates is discussed in an appendix.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Discussions on loop seal behavior during cold leg small break LOCAs of a PWR

This paper analyzes loop seal clearing behavior during small break LOCA transients to point out a possible uncertainty in the process. Further it also discusses core mixture level behavior during the small break transients. Energy balances in the broken and intact loop identify a difference in the mixture level drop velocities between the broken and intact loop. A hypothesis in the velocity fluctuation intensity as a function of a break size is proposed. This leads to a conclusion that, for certain break sizes, it is not certain which loop seal will pass steam to the break first during the transient. This fact has a very important implication in interpreting test data or numerical simulations with a lumped intact loop. The amount of water delivered to the core/vessel region after the loop seal clearing may differ significantly depending on whether the water is from the single broken loop or the lumped intact loop.

Learning Disabilities

The search for effective means of assessing learning disabled children is continuous and often frustrating. Because of the uniqueness of the learning disabled, few professionals feel totally confident in interpreting test data to reach the diagnosis ‘learning disabled’. Historically, diagnosis of learning disabilities has focused on a number of isolated variables. Deficits and strengths within the child were identified and labelled; task analysis has been used to determine level of skill; learning styles have been analysed and matched with supposed teaching models; motivation, interests and attitudes have been inventoried and plotted; attention has been given to the significance of parents, siblings and the home environment. No one could question the importance of each of the variables assessed; however, rarely are they all given to reach a diagnosis. Taken singly they provide little information (Hardin, 1978).

Effectiveness of random fibres in composites

Effectiveness of random fibers in composite materials significantly affects the overall properties of composite materials. Expressions for effectiveness factors in two and three dimensions of random fibres are derived and it is shown that the efficiency of random fibres at a point in a specimen are dependent on the proximity of the point from the surface of the specimen. This aspect has technically significant implications in interpreting test data and in recommending design values from experimental studies and these are discussed in detail. It is also shown that the results obtained in this study are in agreement with several earlier experimental and theoretical studies.

A Digital Computer Application to the Investigation Of Aquifer Properties

Abstract The objective of this work was to use computational techniques advantageously in planning aquifer tests, and evaluating test data for the quantitative description of geologic and hydrologic parameters affecting well and aquifer behavior. A digital computer program was developed to compare the actual pressure performance of aquifer systems to the calculated pressure behavior based on analytical analogs, and to select the analog which best fits the test data; and predict the pressure response of an aquifer discharging through one or more wells to help design proper lest procedures and to monitor test activities in the field. Computer processed and evaluated test data from two aquifers are presented to demonstrate the usefulness of well tests and to show that automatic data interpretation is an excellent time- and money-saving tool in the exhaustive search for the best available mathematical models for the aquifer systems. Introduction This paper develops a digital computer program, based mostly on the concepts of analytical mathematics as used in describing the phenomenon of fluid flow in porous media to facilitate aquifer test planning and test data evaluation. The basic objective of aquifer tests is to evaluate the occurrence, availability and quality of groundwater. When analyzed with appropriate equations or computing techniques, aquifer tests also yield information relative to the geologic and hydrologic characteristics of the aquifer systems. There are many different types of aquifer tests. The constant terminal rate discharge tests followed by pressure build-up tests are of particular interest to engineers who develop natural gas storage pools in aquifers or those who work with producing gas and oil fields subject to water drive or encroachment. These tests are performed by pumping water from one or more wells completed in the aquifer and noting the unsteady-state pressure response of the discharging well and a number of observation wells that are strategically located at various distances from the discharging well. Due to the low compressibility of an aquifer system, pressure transients created by groundwater flow toward the discharging well can be transmitted considerable distances during relatively short periods of time. Thorough knowledge of the behavior of aquifer-aquiclude systems under static and dynamic conditions is indispensable when such systems, associated with structural and/or stratigraphic traps, are considered for the storage of natural gas. Generally, gas injection tests are used as a pilot project to study the confining ability of the aquiclude (confining caprock). The object of the pump tests is to ascertain whether there is leakage through the aquiclude, and to investigate the effectiveness of the porous and permeable strata in receiving, retaining and releasing the gas. However, the element of risk is reduced considerably if the gross characteristics of the aquifer-aquiclude system are dynamically tested by pump test data is much more to gas injection. Also pump test data is much more susceptible to rigorous analysis than gas injection test data. Classical methods of analytical mathematics can often be used to analyze pump test data, and to determine in situ parameters and geometry of the aquifer-aquiclude systems. Such analytical methods apply to relatively uniform systems with simple geometry. A large number of calculations based upon the available structural and stratigraphic data are made for careful planning of pump tests to prevent misuse of test methods and equipment. Analysis of pump test data also requires many computations before a quantitative description of the hydrologic characteristics of an aquifer-aquiclude system is possible. Digital computer methods of planning aquifer tests, interpreting test data and constructing ideal aquifer models of the real aquifers are excellent time- and money-saving tools at the disposal of engineers in their study of aquifer gas storage prospects and producing hydrocarbon fields subject to water drive or encroachment. Typical costs of running computer analysis for a set of well test data are given in the program application section. JPT P. 827ˆ