Purpose Of Placement Research Articles

From Articulation to Validation: Balancing Research-based Best Practices and Program Needs in Spanish Placement Test Development

Abstract: This article details the challenges and best practices of evaluating second language learners for placement into postsecondary Spanish language courses. The literature on testing for placement purposes in second language acquisition and language testing provides a great deal of insight, but language programs must make many decisions as well that draw from their specific student base and program characteristics to develop appropriate instruments that can reliably serve to evaluate students' abilities. Detailing the development and validation of an in-house online placement test at a large university, and supported by research on second language acquisition, this study focuses on the steps used to develop test content, pilot the test, and evaluate results after test deployment for reliability and validity. It is intended to contribute to research on second language testing and program development, as well as serve as a blueprint for language programs on redacting second language placement testing instruments.

ВОПРОСЫ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ИНФОРМАЦИОННОЙ МОДЕЛИ «ИНТЕЛЛЕКТУАЛЬНОГО» АВТОМОБИЛЬНОГО ПУНКТА ПРОПУСКАЧЕРЕЗ ТАМОЖЕННУЮ ГРАНИЦУ В ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИИ ТРАНЗИТНЫХ ПЕРЕВОЗОК

In this article, the authors explore the main promising opportunities and problems of the development of cross-border auto transport of goods by improving electronic document management, as well as increasing the efficiency of using electronic documents when placing goods and vehicles under the customs procedure of customs transit in the Russian Federation. Based on the analysis of customs operations and customs control, information interaction between government authorities and subjects of the supply chain, carried out, inter alia, with the help of automated means and systems upon arrival of a vehicle at an international automobile checkpoint and crossing the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union for the purposes of subsequent placement under the customs procedure of customs transit, the authors draw conclusions about the expediency of creating systems of cumulative electronic dossier (CED) as a promising source of extended, most complete and objective information used for customs purposes, providing an increased level of optimization of the «intellectural» check-point and intensive development of the transit potential of the Russian Federation.

3D-printed guides versus computer navigation for pedicle screw placement in the surgical treatment of congenital scoliosis deformities.

To compare the safety and clinical outcomes of 3D-printed guides versus computer navigation for pedicle screw placement in the correction of congenital scoliosis deformities. The study was a single-centre retrospective controlled study and was approved by the hospital ethics committee for the analysis all patients under the age of 18years with at least 2years of follow-up. Sixty-three patients who underwent surgical correction for congenital scoliosis deformities in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2020 were divided into two groups based on the decision following preoperative doctor‒patient communication. Among them, 43 patients had pedicle screws placed with 3D-printed guider plates, while the remaining 20 patients had screws inserted with the assistance of computer navigation. The perioperative period, follow-up results and imaging data were compared between the groups. The operation was completed successfully for patients in both groups. The 3D-printed guide-assisted screw placement technique proved to be significantly superior to the computer navigation technique in terms of operation time, screw placement time, and intraoperative blood loss (p < .05), although the former had more frequent intraoperative fluoroscopies than the latter (p < .05). The mean follow-up time was 41.4months, and the SRS-22 scores significantly improved in both groups over time postoperatively (p < .05). The 3D-printing group had better SRS-22 scores than the navigation group 6months after surgery and at the last follow-up (p < .05). Compared with preoperative values, the coronal Cobb angle, local kyphotic Cobb angle, C7-S1 coronal deviation (C7PL-CSVL), and sagittal deviation (SVA) were significantly improved in both groups after surgery (p < .05). Both techniques achieve the purpose of precise screw placement and proper correction of the deformities. In contrast, the 3D-printed guide-assisted screw placement technique showed advantages in terms of operation time, screw placement time, intraoperative blood loss and patient satisfaction with outcomes.

Concurrent validity of intelligence assessments in children with developmental disabilities in an Asian setting: Comparison of the Kaufman brief intelligence test – Second edition with the Wechsler Intelligence Scales

BackgroundThis study was carried out to compare the concurrent validity of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test – Second Edition (KBIT-2) with that of two Wechsler Intelligence Scales (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fifth Edition (WISC-V) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence – Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV)) in an Asian setting. MethodsA retrospective study reviewed the medical records of 101 children with developmental disorders who were being followed up at a tertiary child development unit. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were calculated between the KBIT-2 and Wechsler assessment scores. Simple regression analysis was used to calculate standard errors of estimation to assess the accuracy of predicting Wechsler scores using KBIT-2 scores. ResultsA strong positive correlation was observed between KBIT-2's Intelligence Quotient (IQ) Composite and WISC-V's Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores (r = 0.722, p < 0.01). KBIT-2 IQ composite scores showed a moderately strong positive correlation with WPPSI-IV FSIQ scores (r = 0.648, p < 0.01). Simple regression analysis showed that KBIT-2 scores tended to underestimate or overestimate the Wechsler scores, with the highest variability seen in KBIT-2's Non-Verbal IQ and Wechsler's Fluid Reasoning Index scores (error limits: -53.1 to 39.7). ConclusionOur study demonstrates that KBIT-2 has good concurrent validity when compared to other IQ tests such as the Wechsler scales, and it suggests that KBIT-2 is a good screening tool for assessing intelligence in a group of children with developmental disabilities. Further studies are needed to determine whether KBIT-2 can be used for the purpose of diagnostic decision-making or special education program placement.

Online Campus Recruitment System-A Machine Learning Model

As the job market for college students heats up, firms are paying more attention to campus recruiting as the major way of employing college graduates. This research looks at the indicators and reasons for possible hazards for companies when recruiting on college campuses. Several measures are advised in the interim, which may assist organizations to decrease the hazards connected with campus recruiting and boost its success rate. Training and placement cell operations are expedited, and students are put in the most coordinated scenario feasible, all owing to the campus recruiting system. This promotes the aggregation of student knowledge to boost the selection rate and simplifies the process of automatically creating management data. The major purpose of online training and placement is to automate the placement cell. CV validation, advertising job vacancies to a student community, maintaining contact with companies to invite students to internships and other events, monitoring the selection process, and engaging with a broad variety of users.

Optimal sensor placement for leak location in water distribution networks: A feature selection method combined with graph signal processing

Nowadays, real-time monitoring of smart water networks is essentially performed by Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and through the use of sensors strategically positioned in the water distribution network (WDN). The purpose of sensor placement is to reasonably collect signals and thus improve the efficiency of subsequent leak diagnosis, while also limiting their deployment and operational costs. Most current sensor placement methods rely on well-calibrated hydraulic models for node selection and subsequent leak location evaluation. In this study, an efficient Optimal Sensor Placement (OSP) method for WDN is proposed, which avoids the reliance on the hydraulic model in the node selection step. It can be generalized as an optimization process, and the algorithm to solve the problem is a heuristic algorithm. We consider the user nodes in the WDN as features and propose a feature selection algorithm combined with graph signal processing. By this method, the importance of different nodes in the WDN is analyzed and the redundancy between different nodes is considered in the iterative selection process. A graph signal reconstruction method is applied to recover pressure data of all nodes using the data monitored by the selected nodes, and the relationship between the number of sensors and the reconstruction error is analyzed. The proposed method is tested on two benchmark networks of different sizes and types. A comparative analysis with other methods shows that the proposed OSP method can be easily extended to other WDNs. In addition, the proposed method achieves better monitoring results while selecting nodes quickly.

An Assessment of The Effectiveness of Islamic Inter-Bank Money Market Instruments in Oman

The objective of this study is to assess the Islamic inter-bank money market instruments in Oman and their associated challenges. Wakalah inter-bank investment, currently the most widely used liquidity management tool by Islamic banks in the inter-bank money market, has some limitations including an uncertain profit rate, risk of bankruptcy, reliance on conventional benchmarks, and lack of secondary market tradability. To address these limitations, the study adopts a qualitative research methodology and employs both library information and secondary data. The results suggest that alternative instruments, such as Mudharabah inter-bank investment, Islamic negotiable Instrument of Deposit, and Wadiah acceptance, could serve as viable alternatives to Wakalah for deposit and placement purposes in the Islamic inter-bank money market. These instruments are grounded in the widely accepted Mudharabah concept and are expected to receive widespread support from stakeholders. The implementation of these alternatives is predicted to enhance market options and activities, thereby supporting the growth and expansion of the Islamic finance sector in Oman. This expansion could enable Islamic banks to support Islamic social institutions such as Zakat and waqf, thereby improving the social welfare of the Muslim community.

Use of Flexible Periotomes and Conventional Periotomes in Atraumatic Extractions: A Comparative Study

The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of flexible periotomes versus non-flexible conventional periotomes in atraumatic dental extractions of similar teeth. The study also aimed to evaluate the wound healing, duration of the procedure, and level of gingival laceration associated with the use of these two instruments. The study was a randomized controlled clinical trial involving 26 patients requiring nonsurgical tooth extractions bilaterally. The subjects were randomized into two groups: the study group, where flexible periotomes were used to break the periodontal ligament, and the control group, where conventional periotomes were used. A total of 52 extractions were performed, either for orthodontic or implant placement purposes. After the extractions, the researchers evaluated the level of gingival laceration, duration of the procedure, and wound healing on postoperative days 1 and 7. Any complications that arose were also noted. The study group (flexible periotome) and control group (conventional periotome) were compared, and the results showed that the flexible periotomes required a shorter duration of time (around 4 minutes) compared to conventional periotomes (7 minutes). Additionally, gingival lacerations were found to be less severe in the study group. In conclusion, the use of flexible periotomes was found to be more efficient in atraumatic dental extractions compared to conventional periotomes. This study highlights the importance of using newer technology to perform atraumatic extractions, particularly in the era of implantology where there is an increased demand for such procedures.

Quantifying the linguistic demands of the oral directions of preschool cognitive assessments

AbstractResearch has indicated that school aged (6–16 years) versions of cognitive assessment instruments have varying levels of linguistic demand, which could impact assessment results for placement purposes. However, a significant limitation to this research is the fact that it has not been replicated with cognitive assessment instruments used in preschool populations. As such, the purpose of this study is to address this gap in the research literature by examining linguistic demands of cognitive test batteries used for preschool aged children. The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC‐II), Woodcock Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities Fourth Edition (WJ Cog‐IV), and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Fourth Edition were used for this examination. Overall results demonstrated that the oral directions of preschool assessments have relatively low linguistic demands. However, several subtests on WJ Cog‐IV have high Complexity, Verbosity, and Total Demand indices, which can pose difficulty for students with limited word knowledge. Furthermore, the KABC‐II was the least demanding assessment from a linguistic standpoint. Implications are discussed in terms of the assessment of early childhood populations.

Improvement of Wind Energy Systems by Optimizing Turbine Sizing and Placement to Enhance System Reliability

Wind energy and its conversion is part and parcel of renewable energy resources as cheaper and cleaner energy today even though the initial cost varies from place to place. Most of the government sector always promotes renewable energy with a provision of subsidies as observed worldwide. Wind energy is an actual solution over costlier conventional energy sources. If it is not properly placed and the selection of turbine design is not up to the mark, then investments may require more time to acquire Net Profit Value called as NPV. This research work is focused on the development of mathematical models to optimize the turbine size and locations considering all constraints such as the distance between the turbines, hub height, and investment in internal road and substation cost. Particle-Swarm-Optimization is an intelligent tool to optimize turbine place and size. The database management system is selected as the appropriate data storage platform for before and after optimization simulation. Various plots and excel outputs of .net programming are addressed for the success of optimization algorithms for the purpose of wind turbine placement and WTG design is suggested to manage wind energy such that power system reliability has been improved and the same is monitored through the reliability indices.

Developing a local academic English listening test using authentic unscripted audio-visual texts

Despite consistent calls for authentic stimuli in listening tests for better construct representation, unscripted texts have been rarely adopted in high-stakes listening tests due to perceived inefficiency. This study details how a local academic listening test was developed using authentic unscripted audio-visual texts from the local target language use (TLU) domain without compromising the reliability of the test results and validity of the score interpretations. The purpose of the listening test was to identify international students who need additional language support at a U.S. university. We show that efficiency persists when using authentic unscripted texts that are representative of the local context both at the test development phase and at the classification phase where placement decisions are made in a dependable manner. Expert judgments highlighted the improved correspondence of the listening test using locally sourced audio-visual texts to the local TLU domain, providing additional support for using the listening test for local placement purposes. Additionally, dimensionality assessments demonstrated that test design decisions inevitably entailed with using authentic unscripted texts did not threaten the internal structure of the test. We argue that local resources are indispensable in developing authentic test stimuli and in supporting the validity of local test interpretation and use.

DEVELOPMENT OF METHOD AND SOFTWARE FOR COMPRESSION AND ENCRYPTION OF INFORMATION

Researches of the subject area of lossless information compression and with data loss are carried out and data compression algorithms with minimal redundancy are considered: Shannon-Fano coding, Huffman coding and compression using a dictionary: Lempel-Ziv coding. In the course of the work, the theoretical foundations of data compression were used, studies of various methods of data compression were carried out, the best methods of archiving with encryption and storage of various kinds of data were identified. The method of archiving data in the work is used for the purpose of safe and rational placement of information on external media and its protection from deliberate or accidental destruction or loss. In the Embarcadero RAD Studio XE8 integrated development environment, a software package for an archiver with code protection of information has been developed. The archiverʼs mechanism of operation is based on the creation and processing of streaming data. The core of the archiver is the function of compressing and decompressing files using the Lempel-Ziv method. As a method and means of protecting information in the archive, poly-alphabetic substitution (Viziner cipher) was used. The results of the work, in particular, the developed software can be practically used for archival storage of protected information; the mechanism of data archiving and encryption can be used in information transmission systems in order to reduce network traffic and ensure data security. The resulting encryption and archiving software was used in the module of the software package «Diplomas SNU v.2.6.1», which was developed at the Volodymyr Dal East Ukrainian National University. This complex is designed to create a unified register of diplomas at the university, automate the creation of files-diplomas of higher education in the multifunctional graphics editor Adobe Photoshop. The controller exports all data for analysis and formation of diplomas from the parameters of the corresponding XML files downloaded from the unified state education database in compressed zip archives. The developed module performs the process of unzipping and receiving XML-files with parameters for the further work of the complex «Diplomas SNU v.2.6.1».

Exposing an Uneven Playing Field: National Accreditation and Score Conversion among English Proficiency Tests

National policies on the accreditation of English proficiency tests can have a huge impact on the credibility and use of these tests and on English language learning in general. There are two major legal apparatuses currently in place to regulate English proficiency tests used in Korea: (a) the Framework Act on Qualifications and its associated decree; and (b) the Decree on Public Officials Appointment Examinations. One critical problem of the existing legal system, however, is that it is being imposed only on domestic tests, exempting international tests. Although both domestic and international tests are competing for market share in Korea when used for recruitment, employment, and placement purposes, there is no properly-functioning procedure to check the observance or violations of quality control standards for the international tests and to review the fairness of score conversion among these tests at the state level. The main goals of the current investigation are to: (a) critically review relevant laws on certification testing; (b) discuss the limitations of the existing systems of national accreditation/regulation by reviewing test revision history, mean score trends, and recent score conversion results of New TEPS and TOEIC; and finally (c) suggest possible ways to reform these national accreditation/supervision systems.

SHL Literacy Skills

For SHL learners in U.S. schools, formal exposure to reading is more frequently experienced in English rather than Spanish. Consequently, research in SHL literacy focuses more on writing development and presumes SHL/SNS learners possess little to no reading skills in Spanish. We assert that SHL reading abilities are not inexistent, rather, that texts used in traditional classroomreading activities do not provide adequate measures of such skills (Brantmeier, 2005). Our efforts in designing an innovative reading task as part of a placement measure (MacGregor-Mendoza &amp; Moreno, 2020a), provided an opportunity to investigate how diverse literary forms aid in identifying the literacy skills that SHL learners already do possess. The present study demonstrates that shedding the perspective of reading from an L2 standpoint and instead, modeling texts after those used by SHL learners in their own daily literacy practices provides greater opportunities to discern their reading abilities for the purposes of placement and beyond.

Accent, Comprehensibility, and Confidence in Second and Third Languages of Adolescents: How Do They Relate to Language Proficiency and Language Interactions?

This study examines the degree to which adolescents in Iceland are judged by native Icelandic speakers to have a foreign accent both in Icelandic and in English, two languages that are learned under different conditions, as the community and school language, and through school and incidental exposure. Fifty-eight adolescents, 27 with Icelandic as their first language (L1), 21 as their second language (L2), and 10 as one of two L1s read passages in Icelandic and English. Twelve untrained native speakers of Icelandic rated the degree of foreign accent, comprehensibility, and confidence level and selected from multiple-choice options what they thought was the L1 of the speakers. Significant group differences were found in Icelandic but not in English. L2 speakers had a significantly greater foreign accent than the other groups in Icelandic; however, there was substantial overlap with some L2 speakers judged to be native and some L1 speakers judged as nonnative. All groups had a significantly greater accent in English than in Icelandic. Accent was judged more sternly than comprehensibility and confidence and related differently to vocabulary proficiency. Accent is typically not considered in studies of bilingual attainment in children for purposes of clinical assessment or educational placement but should be given closer attention. The study confirms previous findings that many young L2 learners have a detectable foreign accent. The overlap with L1 speakers also raises questions about the ideal of a native accent. More research is needed on how accent relates to bilingual and multilingual proficiency and on its impacts on comfort level, ease of communication, choice of language, and language exposure.

A robust fuzzy approach for gene expression data clustering

In the big data era, clustering is one of the most popular data mining method. Most clustering algorithms have complications like automatic cluster number determination, poor clustering precision, inconsistent clustering of various datasets and parameter-dependent, etc. A new fuzzy autonomous solution for clustering named Meskat-Mahmudul (MM) clustering algorithm was proposed to overcome the complexity of parameter-free automatic cluster number determination and clustering accuracy. The Meskat-Mahmudul clustering algorithm finds out the exact number of clusters based on the average silhouette method in multivariate mixed attribute dataset, including real-time gene expression dataset and missing values, noise, and outliers. Meskat-Mahmudul Extended K-Means (MMK) clustering algorithm enhances the K-Means algorithm, which serves the purpose of automatic cluster discovery and runtime cluster placement. Several validation methods are used to evaluate clusters and certify optimum cluster partitioning and perfection. Some datasets are used to assess the performance of the proposed algorithms to other algorithms in terms of time complexity and clustering efficiency. Finally, Meskat-Mahmudul clustering and Meskat-Mahmudul Extended K-Means clustering algorithms were found superior over conventional algorithms.

Making the Case for the Quality and Use of a New Language Proficiency Assessment: Validity Argument for the Redesigned TOEIC Bridge® Tests

The redesigned TOEIC Bridge® tests were designed to evaluate test takers' English listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills in the context of everyday adult life. In this paper, we summarize the initial validity argument that supports the use of test scores for the purpose of selection, placement, and evaluation of a test taker's English skills. The validity argument consists of four major claims that provide a coherent narrative about the measurement quality and intended uses of test scores. Each major claim in the validity argument is supported by more specific claims and a summary of supporting evidence. By considering the claims and supporting evidence presented in the validity argument, readers should be able to better evaluate whether the TOEIC Bridge tests are appropriate for their situation.

Weighing Students Narrative Answers using NLP-RAKE Algorithm

The Examination portals that are deployed over several servers are used to conduct online Examination for various purposes among which some may include conducting a test for Entrance Examinations, or Olympiads at National and International level and while some portals are designed to conduct a test for placement purposes. But mostly existing portals are designed to conduct tests that contain multiple choice Questions. So, the aim of this project is to evaluate marks for Descriptive Answers.

Dense Polytetrafluoroethylene Membrane versus Titanium Mesh in Vertical Ridge Augmentation: Clinical and Histological Results of a Split-mouth Prospective Study

The aim of the present split-mouth prospective study was to evaluate clinically and histologically the bone regeneration obtained following preprosthetic vertical bone augmentation performed with titanium-reinforced dense polytetrafluoroethylene membrane (d-PM) compared to titanium mesh (TM). Healthy adult patients presenting with bilateral partial edentulism in the posterior mandible requiring vertical ridge augmentation for implant placement purposes were consecutively included. One side of the mandible was randomly assigned to the use of d-PM, the other to TM. The graft consisted in a mixture of autogenous bone harvested nearby the surgical site and deproteinized bovine bone mineral particles in a 1:1 ratio. On each side during bone augmentation surgery, a 2-mm diameter mini-implant was inserted for clinical and histological analyses. After a healing period of 8 months, the second surgical phase was carried out to remove the nonresorbable barriers, to evaluate clinically the vertical bone gain, and to collect a bone biopsy that included the mini-implant. During the same surgical session, dental implants were inserted in a prosthetically guided position. A total of five patients were enrolled. Eight out of 10 sites healed uneventfully. In the remaining two sites, premature exposure of the TM was observed. Mean vertical bone gain of 4.2 and 1.5 mm was achieved in d-PM and TM groups, respectively (p = 0.06). A mean mineralized tissue of 48.28 and 35.54% was observed in d-PM and TM groups, respectively (p = 0.51). The vertical bone gain, although not significantly, was higher in the d-PM group. Similar histological outcomes were noticed if exposure did not occur. In case of wound dehiscence, major resorption was observed. Both d-PM and TM can be used to augment atrophic localized ridges vertically. The outcome of bone regeneration seems to be impaired by exposure of the device. How to cite this article: Maiorana C, Fontana F, Rasia dal Polo M, et al. Dense Polytetrafluoroethylene Membrane versus Titanium Mesh in Vertical Ridge Augmentation: Clinical and Histological Results of a Split-mouth Prospective Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2021;22(5):465-472.

English Language Component of the Mature Students’ Entrance Examinations into Ghanaian Universities: Placement, Diagnostic or Both?

One way that Ghanaian universities admit undergraduate students is an examination organised for candidates who are twenty-five years and above. This examination is known as the Mature Students’ Entrance Examinations (MSEE). This paper argues that the English language component of the MSEE should not only be used for placement purposes, but, also, for diagnostic purposes. A desk survey approach to research was adopted involving 43 relevant literature which were reviewed and synthesised. The study indicates that academic writing, referred to as Communication Skills, falls under the domain of English for Academic Purposes in an English as a Second Language setting like Ghana. It is further advanced that Communication Skills is essential for the performance of students in school. The paper, therefore, argues for the English language component of the MSEE to be used not only for placement purposes but for diagnostic purposes. The study recommends that the latter approach should be included since it will help improve the performances of students in Communication Skills.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 4 March 2021 / Accepted: 6 May 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021