New Generation Of Tests Research Articles

Combining Cognitive Diagnostic Computerized Adaptive Testing With Multidimensional Item Response Theory.

The new generation of tests not only focuses on the general ability but also the process of finer-grained skills. Under the guidance of this thought, researchers have developed a dual-purpose CD-CAT (Dual-CAT). In the existing Dual-CAT, the models used in overall ability estimation are unidimensional IRT models, which cannot apply to the multidimensional tests. This article intends to develop a multidimensional Dual-CAT to improve its applicability. To achieve this goal, this article firstly proposes some item selection methods for the multidimensional Dual-CAT, and then verifies the estimation accuracy and exposure rate of these methods through both simulation study and a real item bank study. The results show that the established multidimensional Dual-CAT is effective and the new proposed methods outperform the traditional methods. Finally, this article discusses the future direction of the Dual-CAT.

Emotional processes in human-robot interaction during brief cognitive testing

With the rapid rise in robot presence in a variety of life domains, understanding how robots influence people's emotions during human-robot interactions is important for ensuring their acceptance in society. Mental health care, in particular, is considered the field in which robotics technology will bring the most dramatic changes in the near future. In this context, the present study sought to determine whether a brief cognitive assessment conducted by a robot elicited different interaction-related emotional processes than a traditional assessment conducted by an expert clinician. A non-clinical sample of 29 young adults (17 females; M = 24.5, SD = 2.3 years) were asked to complete two cognitive tasks twice, in counterbalanced order, once administered by an expert clinician and once by an autonomous humanoid robot. Self-reported measures of affective states and assessment of physiological arousal did not reveal any difference in emotional processes between human-human and human-robot interactions. Similarly, cognitive performances and workload did not differ across conditions. Analysis of non-verbal behaviour, however, showed that participants spent more time looking at the robot (d = 1.3) and made fewer gaze aversions (d = 1.3) in interacting with the robot than with the human examiner. We argue that, far from being a trivial ‘cosmetic change’, using a social robot in place of traditional testing could be a potential way to open up the development of a new generation of tests for brief cognitive assessment.

Test of Special Relativity Using a Fiber Network of Optical Clocks.

Phase compensated optical fiber links enable high accuracy atomic clocks separated by thousands of kilometers to be compared with unprecedented statistical resolution. By searching for a daily variation of the frequency difference between four strontium optical lattice clocks in different locations throughout Europe connected by such links, we improve upon previous tests of time dilation predicted by special relativity. We obtain a constraint on the Robertson-Mansouri-Sexl parameter |α|≲1.1×10^{-8}, quantifying a violation of time dilation, thus improving by a factor of around 2 the best known constraint obtained with Ives-Stilwell type experiments, and by 2 orders of magnitude the best constraint obtained by comparing atomic clocks. This work is the first of a new generation of tests of fundamental physics using optical clocks and fiber links. As clocks improve, and as fiber links are routinely operated, we expect that the tests initiated in this Letter will improve by orders of magnitude in the near future.

The evolution of high complexity companion testing for targeted and immuno-oncology.

The evolution of high complexity companion testing for targeted and immuno-oncology.

Developing a new generation of tests for genotyping hemophilia-causative rearrangements involving int22h and int1h hotspots in the factor VIII gene.

Inversions of F8-intron 22 (Inv22) and F8-intron 1 (Inv1) are responsible for 45-50% of severe hemophilia A cases. In order to improve the molecular diagnosis of Inv22 and Inv1, and to enable rapid discrimination of Inv22-type 1 and Inv22-type 2 patterns, int22h-mediated deletions (Del22) and duplications (Dup22), we developed a genotyping system based on a novel inverse shifting-polymerase chain reaction (IS-PCR) approach. IS-PCR involved BclI restriction, followed by self-ligation to create 'BclI circles', and finally PCR analysis. Three PCR analysis tests were developed: (i) Inv22-diagnostic for a pattern-sensitive detection of deleterious mutations (Inv22 and Del22) from non-deleterious variants (Dup22 and normal); (ii) Inv1-diagnostic; and (iii) Inv22-complementary for discrimination between Inv22 and Del22, and between Dup22 and normal. For rapid molecular analysis of F8, the Inv22 and Inv1 diagnostic tests can be performed simultaneously. The optional Inv22-complementary test need only be used for specific purposes. Diagnostic tests were validated using previously studied samples. IS-PCR evaluated carrier mosaicisms and performed robustly over wide ranges of DNA qualities and procedural conditions. IS-PCR improved the molecular diagnosis of hemophilia A. This genotyping strategy may potentially be adapted to virtually all known rearrangements in the human genome.

Systematic Review: Gene Expression Profiling Assays in Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Three gene expression-based prognostic breast cancer tests have been licensed for use. To summarize evidence on the validity and utility of 3 gene expression-based prognostic breast cancer tests: Oncotype DX (Genomic Health, Redwood City, California), MammaPrint (Agendia BV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), and H/I (AvariaDX, Carlsbad, California). MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases (from 1990 through January 2007), Web sites of test manufacturers, and discussion with the manufacturers. Original data studies published in English that addressed prognostic accuracy and discrimination or treatment benefit prediction of any of the 3 tests in women with breast cancer. Information was extracted about the clinical characteristics of the study population (particularly clinical and therapeutic homogeneity), tumor characteristics, and whether the marketed test or underlying signature was evaluated. The tests are based on distinct gene lists, using 2 different technologies. Overall, the body of evidence showed that this new generation of tests may improve prognostic and therapeutic prediction, but the tests are at different stages of development. Evidence shows that the tests offer clinically relevant, improved risk stratification over standard predictors. Oncotype DX has the strongest evidence, closely followed by MammaPrint and H/I (which is still maturing). For all tests, the relationship of predicted to observed risk in different populations and their incremental contribution over conventional predictors, optimal implementation, and relevance to patients receiving current therapies need further study. Gene expression technologies show great promise to improve predictions of prognosis and treatment benefit for women with early-stage breast cancer. More information is needed on the extent of improvement in prediction, characteristics of women in whom the tests should be used, and how best to incorporate test results into decision making about breast cancer treatment.

A comparison of methods for analysis of tidal records containing multi-scale non-tidal background energy

Many tidal phenomena, including river tides, estuarine currents, and shelf and fjord internal tides, are non-stationary. These tidal processes are poorly understood and largely beyond the realm of practical prediction, even when the perturbing phenomenon causing the non-stationary behavior is itself fairly predictable. Our inadequate understanding of these phenomena has been exacerbated by an absence of a self-consistent procedure for analysis of the entire spectrum of non-stationary motions, tidal and non-tidal. The most difficult methodological situation occurs when the disturbing non-tidal signal is stronger than the tidal one and has an event-like character. Such sharp changes in forcing are multi-scale, containing energy at tidal frequencies, as well as at larger sales. Because of the distinct response of different parts of the tidal spectrum to non-tidal perturbations, multi-scale forcing events have the potential to provide a valuable new generation of tests of tidal dynamics models. This paper compares three techniques for the analysis of such signals, using artificial tidal records of known frequency content to ascertain which method most accurately represents evolving frequency content. The methods are: (a) conventional least-squares, short-term harmonic analysis (STHA); (b) a modified STHA (or mSTHA) that uses a smoothing window and augments the frequency structure of the analysis wave; and (c) linear convolution analysis in the form of continuous wavelet transforms (CWT). Results show that STHA and mSTHA lack a definable frequency response and mix energy between tidal and non-tidal signals in an unpredictable manner. STHA also effectively imposes a boxcar window on the data, the effects of which can be serve for short records. In general, STHA and mSTHA results using short windows will be least reliable in the circumstances where short windows are most desired—when the signal is highly non-stationary. There is, moreover, no simple way to set a minimum window length for STHA/mSTHA that will produce stable results, except to make the window too long to capture the fluctuating variance being sought. In contrast, CWT correctly recovers both tidal and non-tidal variance, as long as resolution limits set by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle are respected. Whatever method is chosen, use of window lengths less than ∼4–6 d requires great care, unless diurnal and subtidal energy are insignificant.

Immunodiagnosis of childhood malignancies.

Immunodiagnosis utilizing immunohistochemical techniques is currently the most commonly utilized and readily available method of ancillary diagnosis in pediatric oncopathology. The methodology comprises relatively simple steps, based on straightforward biologic concepts, and the reagents used are generally well characterized and widely used. The principle of cancer immunodiagnosis is based on the determination of neoplastic lineage using detection of proteins typical of cell differentiation pathways. Methodology sensitivity varies and has become greater with each new generation of tests, but technical draw-backs should be considered to avoid excessive background or nonspecific results. Automated instrumentation offers a degree of accuracy and reproducibility not easily attainable by manual methods.

Laboratory Tests for Live Attenuated Poliovirus Vaccines

A new generation of tests to control live attenuated poliovirus vaccines are under development based on major advances in out understanding of the molecular basis of attenuation and reversion to virulence of polioviruses. These include an alternativein vivoneurovirulence test in transgenic mice that express the human poliovirus receptor and a newin vitrotest, the MAPREC (mutant analysis by polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme cleavage) assay, that assessees consistency of production at a molecular level. Excellent progress is being made with both methods but neither is sufficiently developed yet for regulatory use. Critical review of existing control tests shows that the WHO neurovirulence test is well standardized and contributes significantly to the assessment of each batch. On the other hand, the current rct40 test is neither standardized nor particularly informative, though improvements could be made in both areas. The continued relevance of other marker tests such as the d or antigenic marker is doubtful. Potency, identity and thermal stability tests are crucial for control of the final trivalent vaccine.

Book Reviews

Book Reviewed in this article:Philosophical and Foundation Issues in Measurement Theory Edited by C. Wade Savage and Philip EhrlichUnderstanding Social Science Statistics: A Spreadsheet Approach By Roger Bakeman HillsdaleTest Theory for a New Generation of Tests Edited by Norman Frederiksen, Robert J. Jislevy, and Issac I. BejarStatistical Models in Behavioral Research By William K. Estes HillsdaleOrganizations, Uncertainties, and Risk Edited by James F. Short and Lee ClarkeA First Course in Factor Analysis, 2nd Edition By Andrew L. Comrey and Howard B. Lee HillsdaleLight, Lasers, and Synchrotron Radiation: A Health Risk Assessment (NATO ASI Series; Series B: Physics Vol. 242) Edited by M. Grandolfo, A. Rindi, and D.H. SlineySurface Level Ozone Exposures and Their Effects on Vegetation Edited by Allen S. Lefohn

Is Test Theory Ready for a New Generation of Tests?

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1994, Vol 39(4), 425–426. Reviews the book, Test Theory for a New Generation of Tests edited by Norman Frederiksen, Robert J. Mislevy, and Isaac I. Bejar (1993). In this edited volume, Frederiksen, Mislevy, and Bejar seek to “consider a variety of directions in which standard test theory might be extended”, because, as they argue, classical test theory does not adequately reflect our current understanding of human cognition, nor does it address applied educational questions. In addition to the focus on test theory, several of the chapters assume prior knowledge of the cognitive psychology literature in problem solving, expertnovice differences, rule learning, schema theory, and complex conceptual understanding. Unfortunately, despite the promise implicit in the title, the chasm between psychology and education has not yet been bridged. The new generation of tests, and the theory to support it, are still beyond the horizon. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

Test Theory for a New Generation of Tests.

Contents: R.J. Mislevy, Introduction. R.E. Snow, D.F. Lohman, Cognitive Psychology, New Test Design, and New Test Theory: An Introduction. R.J. Mislevy, Foundations of a New Test Theory. D.F. Lohman, M.J. Ippel, Cognitive Diagnosis: From Statistically Based Assessment Toward Theory-Based Assessment. N.S. Cole, Comments on Chapters 1-3. D. Thissen, Repealing Rules That No Longer Apply to Psychological Measurement. R.E. Bennett, Toward Intelligent Assessment: An Integration of Constructed-Response Testing, Artificial Intelligence, and Model-Based Measurement. S. Embretson, Psychometric Models for Learning and Cognitive Processes. B.F. Green, Comments on Chapters 4-6. S.P. Marshall, Assessing Schema Knowledge. P.J. Feltovich, R.J. Spiro, R.L. Coulson, Learning, Teaching, and Testing for Complex Conceptual Understanding. G.N. Masters, R.J. Mislevy, New Views of Student Learning: Implications for Educational Measurement. D.H. Gitomer, D. Rock, Addressing Process Variables in Test Analysis. J.B. Carroll, Comments on Chapters 7-10. K. Yamamoto, D.H. Gitomer, Application of a HYBRID Model to a Test of Cognitive Skill Representation. J.B. Carroll, Test Theory and the Behavioral Scaling of Test Performance. I.I. Bejar, A Generative Approach to Psychological and Educational Measurement. E.H. Haertel, D.E. Wiley, Representations of Ability Structures: Implications for Testing. H.I. Braun, Comments on Chapters 11-14.

Test theory for a new generation of tests

Test theory for a new generation of tests

Platelet antibodies in immune thrombocytopenia

Several tests to detect antibodies to platelets in patients with immune thrombocytopenia have been developed over the 40 years since it was first noted that this disorder was mediated by antiplatelet factors. Early tests were crude and not reproducible. A major landmark was the quantitation of IgG immunoglobulin on platelet membrane and the observation by several workers that marked increases of all classes of immunoglobulin occurred on platelets in patients with immune thrombocytopenia. Although at one time accepted as a diagnostic characteristic of autoimmune thrombocytopenia (AITP), the initial euphoria was tempered over the last decade by the realisation that elevation of platelet associated immunoproteins was not pathognomonic of this disorder and that raised levels were seen in several other disease processes, sometimes even when platelet counts were normal. The nature of these immunoproteins needs careful understanding. True platelet autoantibodies will manifest as increased platelet immunoproteins but not all such platelet proteins are platelet antibodies. There is speculation about the existence and the mode of activity of IgA and IgM immunoglobulins, both commonly found on platelets in AITP. It is sometimes almost inconceivable that the extremely large amounts of PAIgG could possibly represent true autoantibody. Immune complexes are found in plenty in these and other disorders in which thrombocytopenia manifest. In such situations it is likely that ‘amplified’ immune complexes are bound by Fc receptors, as may be found in viral mediated ITP or in septicaemic states. There is now sound evidence that several glycoprotein such as GP IIb IIIa , GP Ib, GP V, found on platelet membrane, act as target antigen sites for the attachment of antibodies to platelets. Immunoblot techniques have done much to elucidate these properties. Arising from this knowledge a new generation of tests have now been developed, such that it is possible to detect and quantify autoantibodies that are specific to these antigens. The different techniques for these new tests do not as yet necessarily detect all such antibodies and there remains some disagreement between laboratories in the results that are obtained. As yet these tests have not been shown to cast light on the clinical course of individual patients nor have they been of help in determining therapy. Much collaborative work is underway currently and it is hoped that in time such answers will follow.

IDENTIFICATION OF A CORE OF IMPORTANT ENABLING SKILLS FOR THE NTE SUCCESSOR STAGE I EXAMINATION*

ABSTRACT The Educational Testing Service has initiated the development of a new series of tests tc be used as part of the process states use to license or certify their teachers. Stage I of this new generation of tests will determine whether teachers possess an acceptable level of competence in the enabling skills the beginning teacher requires. This report describes the research study that was conducted to identify the enabling skills content domain for Stage I assessments. Job analysis was used to identify the core of important skills. A domain of skills was defined through literature review and advice from experts. The second phase was to verify the judgments of content experts through a large-scale survey of 289 state education officials, 2,269 elementary and secondary school teachers, and a supplemental groups of 236 Black and Hispanic teachers. Of the 134 defined enabling skills, only 3 were judged to be of little or no importance by more than 20% of the teachers, and 113 were determined to be important by all respondent groups. These findings may be used in test construction. Eighteen appendixes present supplemental information, including the survey. Twenty-three tables present study information. (Contains 25 references.) (SLD)

Diabetic autonomic neuropathy

This review attempts to outline the present understanding of diabetic autonomic neuropathy. The clinical features have been increasinly recognised but knowledge of the localization and morphology of the lesions and their pathogenesis remains fragmentary. A metabolic causation as postulated in somatic nerves accords best with clinical observations. Most bodily systems, particularly the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and urogenital, are involved with added disturbances of thermoregulatory function and pupillary reflexes. Possible effects on neuroendocrine and peptidergic secretion and respiratory control await definition. Current interest centres around the development of a new generation of tests of autonomic nerve function that are simple, non-invasive, reproducible and allow precision in diagnosis and accurate quantitation. Most are based on cardiovascular reflexes and abnormality in them is assumed to reflect autonomic damage elsewhere. Probably no single test suffices and a battery of tests reflecting both parasympathetic and sympathetic function is preferable. Little is known of the natural history. The prevalence may be greater than previously suspected and although symptoms are mild in the majority, a few develop florid features. The relation of control and duration of diabetes to the onset and progression of autonomic neuropathy is not clearly established. Once tests of autonomic function become abnormal they usually remain abnormal. Symptomatic autonomic neuropathy carries a greatly increased mortality rate possibly due to indirect mechanisms such as renal failure and direct mechanisms such as cardio-resiratory arrest. Improved treatment of some of the more disabling symptoms has been possible in recent years.