bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF THE SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST FOR DISABLED STUDENTS
Authors: Braun Henry , Ragosta Marjorie , Kaplan Bruce
Published: September 2014

In two separate rounds of data collection, validity data on disabled students were obtained from 145 institutions with validity data on nonhandicapped students. First year grade point averages (FYAs) were obtained for almost 1,000 disabled students who had taken special test administrations of the SAT with extra time and for more than 650 disabled students who had taken standard test administrations. Empirical Bayes procedures were used in conjunction with the sample of nonhandicapped students to develop separate regression equations for each of the 145 institutions. The focus of this study was whether regression equations based on data from nonhandicapped students predict the performance of handicapped students as well as performance of the nonhandicapped.

Consistent with findings from other reports in this series the SAT performance of visually impaired and physically handicapped people was not very different from that of the nonhandicapped students. The SAT scores of learning‐disabled students were considerably lower and those of hearing‐impaired students even lower.

A pattern of over‐ and underprediction was evident in FYA predictions based on high school grades alone. Disabled students earning the lowest high school grade point averages tended to be underpredicted–i.e. predicted to earn FYAs lower than their actual FYAs–while disabled students earning the highest high school grades tended to be overpredicted.

A second pattern emerged from predictions based on SAT scores alone. Except for hearing‐impaired students, SAT scores from special test administrations have a strong tendency to overpredict the college performance of students with disabilities. The effect is strongest for those with learning disabilities.

Using both high school grades and SAT scores to predict the college performance of students from special test administrations results in good overall predictions, but only because overprediction in some areas is offset by underprediction in others. The overprediction of the strongest third of the candidates is balanced by the underprediction of the weakest third.
THE FEASIBILITY OF RESCALING TEST SCORES OF HANDICAPPED EXAMINEES
Authors: Powers Donald E. , Willingham Warren W.
Published: September 2014

A number of testing programs offer handicapped examinees the opportunities to take admissions tests under nonstandard conditions. Typically, the test scores based on these nonstandard administrations have been flagged to indicate to test users that the scores may not be comparable to those from standard administrations. In order to avoid thus identifying handicapped applicants, a panel established by the National Academy of Sciences suggested the possibility of rescaling the scores of handicapped students to make grade predictions comparable for handicapped and nonhandicapped students. This report examines this possibility and concludes that the approach is not feasible technically and furthermore that it would also have a number of potentially serious undesirable side effects.
TEST PREPARATION FOR THE GRE ANALYTICAL ABILITY MEASURE: DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS FOR SUBGROUPS OF GRE TEST TAKERS
Authors: Powers Donald E.
Published: September 2014

A previous study of the initial version of the GRE analytical ability measure (Powers & Swinton, 1984) revealed practically and statistically significant effects of test familiarization on analytical test scores. (Two susceptible item types were subsequently removed from the test.) Data from this study were reanalyzed for evidence of differential effects for subgroups of examinees classified by age, ethnicity, degree aspiration, English language dominance, and performance on other sections of the GRE General Test.

The results suggested little, if any, difference among subgroups of examinees with respect to their response to the particular kind of test preparation considered in the study. Within the limits of the data, no particular subgroup appeared to benefit significantly more or significantly less than any other subgroup.
CAN WE ACCURATELY ASSESS CHANGES IN MINORITY PERFORMANCE ON THE SAT?
Authors: Wainer Howard
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACT

The performance of minority examinees on the SAT is carefully monitored by the national educational media. Changes of 10 or 15 points over a five year period are interpreted as having a significant and important relationship to the educational process. A crucial assumption underlying the validity of this inference is that the performance of an examinee is unrelated to that examinee choosing to identify his or her ethnicity. In this paper we show that this assumption is false and that the potential errors introduced by it dwarf the changes being interpreted as real.
EELWORMS, BULLET HOLES, AND GERALDINE FERRARO
Authors: Wainer Howard
Published: September 2014

There is no safety in numbers. When data are gathered from a sample in which the selection criteria are unknown many problems can befall the unwary investigator. In this paper we explore some of these problems and discuss some solutions. Our principal example is drawn from data from students who choose to take the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test (the SAT). We explore methods of covariance adjustment as well as more explicitly model‐based adjustment methods. Among the latter we discuss Heckman's Selection Model, Rubin's Mixture Model, and Tukey's Simplified Selection Model.
A FAST SCORING ALGORITHM FOR MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION IN UNBALANCED MIXED MODELS WITH NESTED RANDOM EFFECTS
Authors: Longford Nicholas
Published: September 2014

A fast Fisher scoring algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation in unbalanced mixed models with nested random effects is described. The algorithm uses explicit formulae for the inverse and the determinant of the covariance matrix, given by LaMotte (1972), and avoids inversion of large matrices. Description of the algorithm concentrates on computational aspects for large sets of data.
A COMPARISON OF FREE‐RESPONSE AND MULTIPLE‐CHOICE QUESTIONS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF READING COMPREHENSION
Authors: Ward William C. , Dupree David , Carlson Sybil B.
Published: September 2014

Undergraduate students completed a Reading Comprehension test in which each of a number of passages served as the basis for four to eight questions, half framed in multiple‐choice format and half requiring that the examinee produce an appropriate answer. Questions within a passage were balanced according to the kind of information processing they were thought to require: Explicit questions dealt with information given explicitly in the passage; Inference questions required inference based on material presented; and Application and Evaluation questions required that the examinee go beyond what was presented to consider applications of ideas presented or evaluation of the logic or the style of the passage. It was hypothesized that questions of the first type would show no systematic differences associated with the format of the question, while those of the second might, and those of the third would, draw on somewhat different cognitive abilities when examinees were required to produce rather than merely to recognize an appropriate answer.

Correlational and factor analyses provided only minimal indications of systematic differences associated with the response format. Estimated true correlations across formats averaged .91, a relation of the same magnitude as that found when multiple‐choice Reading Comprehension items differing in their information processing requirements are contrasted with one another. Weak evidence for a factor loaded by scores based on performance on multiple‐choice but not free‐response items was found, but only one score had a loading as great as .3 on this factor.

Relations of test scores with other cognitive measures also failed to show systematic differences associated with format. Regardless of differences in item type and response format, all scores based on the Reading Comprehension test showed fairly substantial relations with tests of Reasoning and Vocabulary and with the ACT English achievement test, moderate relations with the ACT mathematics achievement score, and near‐zero relations with a test of Divergent Thinking.

Despite this evidence for similarity in performance across formats, however, there is also evidence of systematic differences for individuals. The subjects by format interaction in the analysis of variance, while not of great strength, was significant at the five percent level of confidence. This effect indicates that some students showed larger differences in performance between the two response formats than did others.

It was speculated that two changes in test items might be required to elicit the differences in performance associated with response format that have been observed in some other testing situations. Items may need to be structured so that they draw less on information given in or derivable from the test materials and more from information whose relevance is not specified for the examinee; and types of questions with which examinees are not so well practiced may need to be employed.
EXPLORING THE USE OF IRT EQUATING FOR THE GRE SUBJECT TEST IN MATHEMATICS
Authors: McKinley Robert , Kingston Neal
Published: September 2014

A study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of using IRT equating for the GRE Subject Test in Mathematics. Two forms of the test were equated using the three‐parameter logistic (3PL) model, and the results were compared to the results of the Tucker equating procedure currently used operationally, as well as to equipercentile equating. In addition, the two basic assumptions of the 3PL model were investigated to determine whether they were reasonable within the context of the GRE Mathematics Test. These assumptions were that of unidimensionality, which was investigated using nonlinear, full‐information factor analysis, and that the item response function follows a logistic form with three parameters, which was investigated using two different goodness‐of‐fit procedures.

The results of the study indicate that the GRE Mathematics Test is reasonably unidimensional, and that the three‐parameter logistic model does yield reasonable fit to the data. It was found that both the IRT and the equipercentile equating procedures yielded somewhat different results than the Tucker method. The results for the IRT procedure and the equipercentile procedure were quite similar.
SYNTACTIC COMPLEXITY AND PSYCHOMETRIC DIFFICULTY: A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
Authors: Bejar Isaac I. , Stabler Edward P. , Camp Roberta
Published: September 2014

An earlier investigation (Bejar, 1983) had argued that experts' judgment of item difficulty could perhaps be usefully supplemented with linguistic information about the sentence from which the item was derived. To investigate that idea, we analyzed items from the earlier study to determine their syntactic structure. Three potential independent variables were studied by themselves and in conjunction with subject‐matter ratings. The analysis suggested that the combination of experts' judgments and syntactic information about the sentence on which the item was based collectively predicted difficulty better than either judgment or syntactic information alone. Moreover, the proportions of variance in item difficulty accounted for by the judgments and syntactic information was 31%.
TEST CONSTRUCTION MANIPULATING SCORE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE EXAMINEES: PROPERTIES OF THE RESULTING TESTS
Authors: Hackett Rachelle Kisst , Holland Paul W. , Pearlman Mari , Thayer Dorothy T.
Published: September 2014

Test forms for two item types were developed that maximized or minimized the differences in average scores between Black and White examinees. The test forms were then administered to random samples of examinees along with conventionally constructed control forms. The results suggest that impact manipulation is possible while maintaining content specifications and average difficulty level. However, the distribution of item difficulties was altered as were the reliability of the experimental sections and the relationships of these sections to other parts of the test.
ONE‐STAGE LOGIST1
Authors: Wingersky Marilyn S.
Published: September 2014

Applications of item response theory frequently require estimates of only the item parameters. In this paper, a reparameterization of the logistic model is developed which involves substituting an implicit function of the number‐right true score for ability. The number‐right true score needs only to be computed once since the observed number‐right score is a good estimator of it. This reparameterization avoids estimating each examinee's ability in every stage of the estimation procedure. An estimation method containing this reparameterization was devised and incorporated into a modified version of the LOGIST computer program. The procedure, called One‐Stage, was tried out on artificial and real data. The results on the artificial data were compared to the true values and to the estimates from the operational LOGIST program. The results on the real data were compared to the estimates from the operational LOGIST program.

In the comparisons of the parameter estimates from One‐Stage and LOGIST to the true values for the artificial data, One‐Stage did not estimate the item parameters as well as LOGIST. One potential benefit of this procedure, the reduction in computer costs due to not estimating an ability for each examinee in each stage, was not realized when the procedure was applied to real data with a lot of not reached items.
ANALYZING THE OPTION EFFECTS OF DIFFICULT TOEFL ITEMS WITH LOW BISERIALS: METHODS DEVELOPED FOR USE BY TEST ASSEMBLERS
Authors: Hicks Marilyn M.
Published: September 2014

Several exploratory analyses of the fifths data generated by TOEFL item analyses were developed in order to evaluate the effects of options on the discriminability of difficult items, and to identify difficult items with low, unreliable biserials which have been rejected by Test Development but for which acceptable a‐parameters are probably estimable. Intended for use by test assemblers subsequent to an item analysis, the methods were mainly graphical, but also included the evaluation of a distance measure and other simple statistics.

An effective distracter has the property that examinees are attracted to it in inverse order of ability. To the extent that this ordering is violated for certain ability levels, localized option effects occur which can impair item discrimination as well as the fit of the IRT model. The negative impact of these effects on model fit was illustrated, and methods for analyzing them were suggested. If item writers could account for the factors underlying the interaction between ability level and option responses, it might be possible to modify options accordingly, thereby improving the measurement effectiveness of the item. Departing from the usual reliance on a single index, the approaches in these analyses included, among other things, an evaluation of the biplot generated from a correspondence analysis of the matrix of fifths information, and an analysis of the total option response configuration. Many examples of these analyses were provided.

A significant limitation of the r‐biserial for very difficult items which restricts the ability of test assemblers to construct tests with effective measurement properties at high score levels was illustrated. The index developed in this study to identify such items is regarded as an interim strategy until a conventional measure of item discrimination which is optimal over the entire scale of difficulty is developed, a current critical need.

The implications of introducing other dimensions into the test by items with nonmonotonic response patterns due to option effects was briefly discussed. It is possible that application of the procedures developed in the study might provide a method of excercising control over the dimensionality of the measuring instrument at the practical level of item construction.
AGREEMENT BETWEEN EXPERT SYSTEM AND HUMAN RATINGS OF CONSTRUCTED‐RESPONSES TO COMPUTER SCIENCE PROBLEMS
Authors: Bennett Randy Elliot , Gong Brian , Kershaw Roger C. , Rock Donald A. , Soloway Elliot , Macalalad Alex
Published: September 2014

If computers can be programmed to score complex constructed response items, substantial savings in selected ETS programs might be realized and the development of mastery assessment systems that incorporate “real‐world” tasks might be facilitated. This study investigated the extent of agreement between MicroPROUST, a prototype microcomputer‐based expert scoring system, and human readers for two Advanced Placement Computer Science free‐response items. To assess agreement, a balanced incomplete block design was used with two groups of four readers grading 43 student solutions to the first problem and 45 solutions to the second. Readers assigned numeric grades and diagnostic comments in separate readings. Results showed MicroPROUST to be unable to grade a significant portion of solutions, but to perform impressively on those solutions it could analyze. For one problem, MicroPROUST assigned grades and diagnostic comments similar to those assigned by readers. For the other problem, MicroPROUST's agreement with readers on grades was lower than the agreement of readers among themselves, its grades were higher, and it gave fewer comments, particularly on structure and style. The extent of disagreement on grades, however, was small and much of the disagreement disappeared when papers were rescored discounting style. MicroPROUST's interchangeability with human readers on one problem suggests that there are conditions under which automated scoring of complex constructed‐responses might be implemented by ETS.
THE STANDARDIZATION APPROACH TO ASSESSING DIFFERENTIAL SPEEDEDNESS
Authors: Dorans Neil J. , Schmitt Alicia P. , Bleistein Carole A.
Published: September 2014

An adaptation of the standardization approach to assessing differential item functioning that applies to all item responses, including omits and not reached, is described. Applications of this method to evaluate differential speededness show that there is evidence of differential speededness for Blacks and Hispanics, but not for Asian‐Americans. There may be a dependency between differential speededness and test section location: Differential speededness may be more noticeable when the test section is located at the beginning of the test. Implications of these findings for evaluations of content‐related differential item functioning and on differential test‐taking strategies are described.
DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING FOR MINORITY EXAMINEES ON THE SAT1,2
Authors: Schmitt Alicia P. , Dorans Neil J.
Published: September 2014

The standardization approach to assessing differential item functioning (DIF), including standardized distractor analysis, is described. The results of studies conducted on Asian‐Americans, Hispanics (Mexican‐Americans and Puerto Ricans), and Blacks on the Scholastic Aptitude Test are described and then synthesized across studies. Where the groups were limited to include only examinees who spoke English as their best language, very few items across forms and ethnic groups exhibited large DIF. Major findings include evidence of differential speededness for Blacks and Hispanics, and when the item content is of special interest, advantages for the relevant ethnic group. In addition homographs tend to disadvantage all three ethnic groups, but the effect of vertical relationships are not as consistent. Although these findings are important in understanding DIF they do not seem to account for all differences. Other variables related to DIF still need to be identified. Furthermore, these findings are seen as tentative until corraborated by studies using controlled data collection designs.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE SAMPLE INVARIANT PROPERTIES OF LINEAR AND CURVILINEAR OBSERVED‐ AND TRUE‐SCORE EQUATING PROCEDURES1,2
Authors: Stocking Martha L. , Eignor Daniel R. , Cook Linda L.
Published: September 2014

A sequence of simulations was carried out to aid in the diagnosis and interpretation of equating differences found between random and matched (nonrandom) samples for four commonly used equating procedures: Tucker linear observed‐score equating, Levine equally reliable linear observed‐score equating, Equipercentile curvilinear observed‐score equating, and IRT curvilinear true‐score equating. The results support the prediction based on theoretical grounds that observed‐score equating methods are more affected by sample variation than are true‐score equating methods. These results further suggest that matching equating samples on the basis of fallible measures of ability may not be advisable for any conventional equating method except the Tucker method. In addition, the results support a particular hypothesis about IRT equating, suggesting that the use of matched samples cannot be recommended for this equating method either.
A STUDY OF THE DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF CURRICULUM ON APTITUDE TEST SCORES
Authors: Angoff William H. , Johnson Eugene G.
Published: September 2014

A sample of 22,923 students who had taken the GRE General Test in the academic years 1983‐84 and 1984–85 and who had also taken the SAT four or five years earlier were found, and classified by undergraduate field of study (four major categories of curriculum) and sex. Several analyses were undertaken to determine the degree of differential impact that sex and field of study might have on GRE‐verbal, GRE‐quantitative, and GRE‐analytical scores, after controlling on SAT‐verbal and SAT‐mathematical scores. It was found, first, that the correlations of SAT‐verbal with GRE‐verbal and SAT‐mathematical with GRE‐quantitative were extremely high, both for the entire sample, and within it, for the eight subgroups defined by field of study and sex. The correlations were .86 in the total sample and ranged from the low to middle .80s in the eight subgroups. The impact of curriculum and sex was found to be low on GRE‐verbal scores, but relatively high for GRE‐quantitative, with students in heavily quantitative fields enjoying an advantage over their peers in less quantitative fields of study. The impact was moderate for GRE‐analytical. Further studies designed to “purify” the fields of study and include only clearly verbal fields and clearly mathematical fields–omitting entirely students in social and biological science–showed small additional impact. An additional study indicated that there was a generally slight effect of the institution attended on GRE‐quantitative scores, after controlling for major field of study and initial ability, although the importance of institution attended was somewhat greater for higher ability students. Although these studies helped a bit to clarify the results, the basic conclusions remained unchanged.

In a separate phase of the study an attempt was made by means of Mantel‐Haenszel analyses to identify the kinds of items that were relatively resistant to curricular and sex effects. Although the items differed from one another with respect to impact, they did not fall into identifiable categories that would make it possible to predict which items would be likely to show such impact and which would not.
THE INFLUENCE OF READING PATTERNS ON THE PROFICIENCIES OF YOUNG ADULTS
Authors: Kirsch Irwin S. , Mosenthal Peter B. , Rock Donald A.
Published: September 2014

Using data collected by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) through its literacy assessment of young adults, this study addressed the question, Do adult patterns of reading activity relate to demonstrated proficiencies? Five reading patterns were developed that represent various combinations of high and low activity with newspapers, magazines, books, and brief documents. These patterns were found to be related to performance on the three NAEP literacy scales — prose, document, and quantitative — for the total population and for major subgroups as well. Through regression analyses, these patterns were shown to have importance in explaining the literacy performance levels of America's 21‐ to 25‐ year olds. These findings are discussed in the context of recent cognitive research that emphasizes the importance of graded contextual practice in the transition from novice to expert status.
MEASUREMENT SCIENCE AND TRAINING
Authors: Bunderson C. Victor
Published: September 2014

The need for training and retraining is a central element in current discussions about the economy of the United States. This paper was designed to introduce training practitioners to some new concepts about how measurement science can provide a new framework for assessing progress and can add new discipline to the development, implementation, and conduct of training. The paper is a discussion‐focusing chapter in a forthcoming ASTD‐sponsored book in which other chapters are written by training practitioners. The paper demonstrates that measurement science, revitalized by interactive technologies and the disciplines of cognitive science, instructional science, applied artificial intelligence, and studies of organizational change, can be used to address the economic challenge our nation currently faces. Basic concepts of measurement science as applied to training and performance are described, and newer concepts, such as mastery assessment systems and the four generations of computerized measurement, are explored to demonstrate their applicability to training and performance measurement. A hypothetical future training application, making use of the advantages offered by advances in measurement science, is described.
ADJUSTING SCORES ON EXAMINATIONS OFFERING A CHOICE OF ESSAY QUESTIONS
Authors: Livingston Samuel A.
Published: September 2014

When test‐takers are offered a choice of essay questions, some questions may be harder than others. If the test includes a common portion taken by all test‐takers, an adjustment to the scores is possible. Previously proposed adjustment procedures disregard the test‐makers' efforts to create questions of equal difficulty; these procedures tend to make larger adjustments when the scores to be adjusted are less correlated with scores on the common portion. This paper suggests an adjustment procedure that makes smaller adjustments when the corelation between the scores to be adjusted and the scores on the common portion is weak. The paper includes a derivation of the adjustment formula and a numerical example of the resulting adjustment.
DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING FOR MALES AND FEMALES ON SAT‐VERBAL READING SUBSCORE ITEMS: FOLLOW‐UP STUDY1,2
Authors: Lawrence Ida M. , Curley W. Edward
Published: September 2014

This study was conducted to attempt to verify findings from an earlier study by Lawrence, Curley, and McHale (1988) in which DIF was examined for females on Reading subscore items in four forms of SAT‐Verbal. Specifically, the focus of this research was on verifying the technical science hypothesis as a contributing factor to DIF for females on science reading comprehension questions, and the true‐science classification as a contributing factor to DIF for females on sentence completion items. Confirmatory evidence for the factors identified in the earlier study is not clear‐cut in this study. For reading comprehension items, the presence of technical science material in a reading passage tends to make the corresponding items more difficult for females. However, some items associated with highly technical passages do not function differently for males and females. With respect to sentence completion items, there was partial support for the hypothesis that true‐science items are more difficult for females. However, the limited number of items studied does not warrant statements about the differential functioning of sentence completion items.
TRENDS IN SAT SCORES AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF EXAMINEES PLANNING TO MAJOR IN MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, OR ENGINEERING
Authors: Grandy Jerilee
Published: September 2014

This study analyzed data from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken by high school seniors between 1977 and 1988. Its purpose was to study trends in the numbers, test scores, and other characteristics of examinees planning to major in math, science, or engineering, and to compare these data with comparable data from examinees planning to major in other fields.

The major findings were as follows:

The total test‐taking population declined in number until 1983 and has since been increasing. The average SAT Verbal score also declined until 1981, then increased until 1986. Between 1986 and 1988 the Verbal mean declined 3 points. The mean Mathematics score declined until 1981 but rose 10 points from 1981 to 1988.

Between 1977 and 1988, the percentage of examinees who planned to major in math, science, or engineering increased from 24% to 29% of the examinee population. In recent years, the numbers planning to major in psychology and in the social sciences have shown especially large increases.

In 1988, examinees planning to major in math, science, or engineering obtained a mean Verbal score 18 points higher than the population average and a mean Mathematics score 31 points higher. Means for specific fields varied considerably. Examinees planning to major in physics, for example, obtained a mean Mathematics score 145 points above average, while those planning to major in sociology obtained a mean 44 points below the population average.

Among students planning to major in math, science, or engineering, the mean Verbal score declined until 1983, rose slightly in the next two years, and declined 5 points between 1985 and 1988. The mean Mathematics score declined until 1981, increased until 1985, and declined thereafter. Between 1987 and 1988, the mean Mathematics score dropped 6 points.

Among examinees who identify themselves as White and who plan to major in math, science, or engineering, there has been a difference of nearly a standard deviation between the mean Mathematics scores of males and females. The scores of females do not appear to be “catching up” with the scores of males. Sex differences are not as great among Black examinees as among White examinees.

Among examinees who identify themselves as Black and who plan to major in math, science, or engineering, the mean Mathematics score for males rose 18 points between 1977 and 1988, and the mean for females rose 20 points during that period.
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SCIENCE INTEREST
Authors: Martinez Michael E.
Published: September 2014

Males are more likely than females to aspire to and attain careers in science. This pattern might be attributed to differences in the appeal of school science to boys and girls. In this study, middle school students carried out versions of science experiments that differed in their motivational appeal. Findings showed that boys were more attentive to aspects of science experiments that elicit perceptions of control, whereas girls were more attentive to social aspects. Further, attempts to enhance the interest value of science experiments were found to be more effective for girls than for boys. Motivational enhancement of science experiments was found to affect subsequent choices to participate in science experiments.
CONTEXT BIAS IN THE TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Authors: Angoff William H.
Published: September 2014

This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis advanced by Traynor (1985) that items of the TOEFL test that contain references to American people, places, regions, customs, institutions, etc., tend to favor examinees who have spent some time living in the United States. Two samples of examinees were drawn from the March 1987 administration of the test–one, tested in the United States, consisting of individuals who had lived in this country for more than a year, the other, tested in their native countries, consisting of individuals who had spent less than a month in the United States. Mantel‐Haenszel (1959) analyses were carried out for each of the 146 operational items of the test, using data from the two groups, separately by region of origin, and also combined across regions. In all analyses, the subjects in the two groups were matched on the total score on the section in which the item was contained.

In a separate part of the study, five raters were engaged and asked to rate the items of the test, judging whether they contained explicit reference to some aspect of Americana. These ratings were found to be highly reliable; all but 16 of the 146 were unanimously judged by the raters as having reference or not having reference to Americana.

Of all 146 items in TOEFL, only one gave a consistent advantage, found in every one of the five regions of the world studied here, to examineees tested domestically. It is noteworthy, however, that this item made no reference to Americana. Several other items also showed an advantage to domestic candidates, but, with two exceptions, the advantage was found in only one region of the world. The two exceptions showed a domestic advantage in only two regions. Of the five most “significantly” aberrant items, only one was judged (by four of the five raters) to be an “Americana” item.

Bivariate distributions of “Americana” scores on the items of TOEFL versus their Mantel‐Haenszel indices were prepared to determine whether there was any relation between the two. None was found.

On the strength of the information provided in the tables of this report, and on the strength of the review of the items cited here, it may be concluded that there is no support for the hypothesis that TOEFL items that make reference to American people, places, institutions, customs, etc., tend to advantage TOEFL candidates who have lived in the United States for a year or more over those who have spent little (one month or less) time in the country.
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles for Sensitive Colorimetric Detection of Chromium(III)
Authors: Li Jiao , Du Jianxiu , Zhang Jianhuai
Published: September 2014

A cost‐effective and sensitive colorimetric method was described for the determination of chromium(III) ion (Cr3+) by using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid functionalized gold nanoparticles (EDTA‐AuNPs) as a probe. The stable and dispersed EDTA‐AuNPs were prepared by reducing HAuCl4 with sodium borohydride in presence of EDTA as a capping agent. Upon the addition of Cr3+, the colour of EDTA‐AuNPs solution changed from red to violet, which was in response to the surface plasmon absorption of dispersed and aggregated EDTA‐AuNPs. The procedure allowed the determination of Cr3+ in the range of 0.1–1.0 mol/L. The limit of detection for Cr3+ was 0.08 mol/L. The relative standard deviation was 2.5 % for eight repeated measurements of 0.6 mol/L Cr3+ solution. The method was applied to the determination of Cr3+ in water samples.
MiR‐96‐5p influences cellular growth and is associated with poor survival in colorectal cancer patients
Authors: Ress Anna Lena , Stiegelbauer Verena , Winter Elke , Schwarzenbacher Daniela , Kiesslich Tobias , Lax Sigurd , Jahn Stefan , Deutsch Alexander , Bauernhofer Thomas , Ling Hui , Samonigg Hellmut , Gerger Armin , Hoefler Gerald , Pichler Martin
Published: September 2014

Expression of miR‐96‐5p is frequently altered in various types of cancer and the KRAS oncogene has been identified as one of its potential targets. However, the biological role of miR‐96‐5p expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its ability to predict the clinical course of patients have not been investigated yet. In this study, we explored miR‐96‐5p expression in 80 CRC patients and evaluated the impact on clinical outcome by Kaplan‐Meier curves and multivariate Cox proportional models. In vitro miR‐96‐5p inhibition and overexpression were performed in CRC cells and the effects on cellular growth, anchorage‐independent growth, apoptosis, and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐related gene expression were explored. Low miR‐96‐5p expression levels in tumor tissue were associated with distant metastasis (P = 0.025) and multivariate Cox regression analysis identified low levels of miR‐96‐5p as an independent prognostic factor with respect to cancer‐specific survival (hazard ratio = 1.78, 95%CI = 1.03‐3.03, P < 0.038). In vitro overexpression of miR‐96‐5p led to a reduced cellular growth rate (P < 0.05), reduced colonies in soft agar (P < 0.05), corroborated by a decreased cyclin D1 and increased p27‐CDKN1A expression (P < 0.05). Forced expression of miR‐96‐5p in CRC cells entailed no effects on apoptosis or EMT‐related genes but decreased the expression levels of the KRAS oncogene (P < 0.05). Despite regulating KRAS expression, there was no significant association in miR‐96‐5p expression levels and response rates to EGFR‐targeting agents. In conclusion, our data suggest that miR‐96‐5p influences cellular growth of CRC cells and low expression of miR‐96‐5p seems to be associated with poor clinical outcome in CRC patients. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ultra‐wideband power divider with a notched band using embedded dual‐mode resonators
Authors: Song Kaijun , Hu Bingkun , Duan Qi , Chen Qike , Fan Yong
Published: September 2014

An ultra‐wideband (UWB) Wilkinson power divider with a notched band is presented. Multisection Wilkinson structure is utilized to realize UWB response. The notched band is introduced using the embedded dual‐mode resonators. The central frequency and bandwidth of the notched band can be adjusted independently by tuning the structural parameters of the embedded dual‐mode resonators. Even and odd analyses are used to analyze the proposed structure. The presented power divider has been developed and measured. The measured notched band is located at 1.78 GHz with an attenuation of greater than 14 dB. The measured results show reasonable agreement with the predicted ones. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2758–2762, 2014
Combined‐type dual‐wideband antenna for 2G/3G/4G tablet device
Authors: Chen Li‐Yu , Wong Kin‐Lu
Published: September 2014

A combined‐type dual‐wideband antenna with its lower wideband and higher widebands, respectively, contributed by two separate radiating portions thereof is presented. The two separate radiating portions (one low‐band antenna and one high‐band antenna) are easily combined into a compact structure for the 2G/3G/4G operation in the 698–960 and 1710–2690 MHz bands. In addition, for applications in the typical tablet device such as a tablet computer, the proposed antenna requires a very small ground clearance of 10 × 30 mm2 for the 2G/3G/4G operation. The low‐band antenna for the 698–960 MHz band is an inverted‐F antenna, with its radiating arm coupled to the antenna's feeding strip through a first chip inductor and its shorting strip embedded with a second chip inductor. The high‐band antenna for the 1710–2690 MHz band is a monopole antenna formed by connecting a simple strip to the feeding strip and enclosed by the low‐band antenna so as to achieve a compact antenna structure. A simple matching circuit disposed on the device ground plane can, respectively, widen the bandwidth of the antenna's lower and higher bands. The proposed combined‐type antenna can easily achieve dual‐wideband operation with a small antenna volume, and a promising antenna design for the 2G/3G/4G tablet device is presented. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2799–2805, 2014
Design, simulation, and fabrication of an ultrathin planar microwave metamaterial absorber
Authors: Soheilifar M. R. , Sadeghzadeh R. A.
Published: September 2014

The design, fabrication, and measurement of a novel and ultrathin metamaterial absorber are presented for X‐band. The absorber is constructed of a periodic array of new resonant structure with the thickness of 1/110 of the incidence wavelength. Simulation results show that the absorber can perform with an absorption peak of 100.00% at frequency of 10.116 GHz given a normally incident electromagnetic wave the full width at half maxima bandwidth is 5.057%. This absorber is polarization‐independent and wide‐angle incidence for both transverse magnetic and transverse electric polarizations. In addition, absorption spectrum curves were studied using the recursive method. To further enhance the absorption bandwidth of the novel design, the scalability property of metamaterials is utilized. Three and nine elements in one unit cell are arranged side by side in different scenarios, which have created double and triple‐band with full width at half maxima bandwidth of 10.552 and 17.084%, respectively. In all cases, the proposed structures are fabricated and experimental results show good agreement with the numerical simulation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2916–2922, 2014
A Fabry–Perot sensor prototype for low‐pressure measurements
Authors: Roriz P. , Ferreira M. S. , Schuster K. , Kobelke J. , Frazão O.
Published: September 2014

An interferometric Fabry–Perot cavity based on hollow‐core ring photonic crystal fiber combined with a silicone diaphragm is proposed for low pressure sensing. The sensor exhibits a sensitivity of 0.086 nm/mmHg for a pressure range between 0 and 337.5 mmHg. These values are in the range of physiological pressures, such as intravascular pressure. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2981–2984, 2014
Quantitative mapping of cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM)
Authors: Zhang Jingwei , Liu Tian , Gupta Ajay , Spincemaille Pascal , Nguyen Thanh D. , Wang Yi
Published: September 2014

Purpose

To quantitatively map cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (
) and oxygen extraction fraction (
) in human brains using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and arterial spin labeling‐measured cerebral blood flow (CBF) before and after caffeine vasoconstriction.

Methods

Using the multiecho, three‐dimensional gradient echo sequence and an oral bolus of 200 mg caffeine, whole brain
and
were mapped at 3‐mm isotropic resolution on 13 healthy subjects. The QSM‐based
was compared with an
‐based
to analyze the regional consistency within cortical gray matter (CGM) with the scaling in the
method set to provide same total
as the QSM method for each subject.

Results

Compared to precaffeine, susceptibility increased (5.1 ± 1.1 ppb; P < 0.01) and
decreased (−23.6 ± 6.7 ml/100 g/min; P < 0.01) at 25‐min postcaffeine in CGM. This corresponded to a
of 153.0 ± 26.4 μmol/100 g/min with an
of 33.9 ± 9.6% and 54.5 ± 13.2% (P < 0.01) pre‐ and postcaffeine, respectively, at CGM, and a
of 58.0 ± 26.6 μmol/100 g/min at white matter.
from both QSM‐ and
‐based methods showed good regional consistency (P > 0.05), but quantitation of
‐based
required an additional scaling factor.

Conclusion

QSM can be used with perfusion measurements pre‐ and postcaffeine vascoconstriction to map
and OEF. Magn Reson Med 74:945–952, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dexmedetomidine and hydromorphone: A novel pain management strategy for the oncology ward setting during anti‐GD2 immunotherapy for high‐risk neuroblastoma in children
Authors: Görges Matthias , West Nicholas , Deyell Rebecca , Winton Pamela , Cheung Wesley , Lauder Gillian
Published: September 2014

Background

Treatment of neuroblastoma with targeted immunotherapy using chimeric anti‐GD2 monoclonal antibodies (ch14.18) is associated with significant pain requiring management with a high‐dose opioid infusion. We present a case series of six children, for whom dexmedetomidine and hydromorphone infusions safely and effectively reduced the pain of ch14.18 therapy in the oncology ward setting.

Procedure

The ch14.18 infusion is administered for ≥10 hr over four consecutive days in each of 5 cycles. Hydromorphone (2–8 mcg.kg−1.hr−1) and dexmedetomidine (0.1–0.6 mcg.kg−1.hr−1) infusions were commenced 1 hr before starting ch14.18 immunotherapy and titrated to optimal clinical effect. One hour after stopping the ch14.18 infusion, dexmedetomidine was discontinued and hydromorphone weaned as tolerated. This strategy was supervised by the Acute Pain Service with strict monitoring and nursing policies. Patient charts were reviewed for evidence of side effects and quality of analgesia.

Results

Data from six patients, with median (range) age of 3.5 (2–12) years are reported. Median (range) utilization of hydromorphone was 2.9 (2.0–4.7) mcg.kg−1.hr−1, and of dexmedetomidine was 0.17 (0.10–0.20) mcg.kg−1.hr−1. A drop in mean arterial pressure ≥30% below baseline was identified during 30% of treatment days, but only prompted interrupting or reducing the ch14.18 infusion on 7% of treatment days; only one episode of grade 3 hypotension was recorded during this series. Hypoxemia occurred during 8% and bradycardia during 4% of treatment days.

Conclusions

Dexmedetomidine infusion may be an effective and safe pain management adjunct to opioid therapy for the pain of ch14.18 infusion. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:29–34. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In situ Synthesis and mechanical, thermal properties of polyimide nanocomposite film by addition of functionalized graphene oxide
Authors: Liu Peijiang , Yao Zhengjun , Li Lin , Zhou Jintang
Published: September 2014

Polyimide (PI) and chemical modified graphene oxide nanocomposite films are prepared by in situ polymerization from solutions of pyromellitic dianhydride and 4,4′‐oxydianiline with various amount (0.5–2 wt%) of 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) functionalized graphene oxide (GO) sheets in dimethylacetamide. The APTS functionalized GO (GO‐APTS) is a versatile platform for polymer grafting, improving excellent dispersion of GO in the PI matrix, and forming strong interaction with the PI matrix. The GO‐APTS/PI nanocomposites exhibited improvement in mechanical and thermal properties by addition of a small amount of GO‐APTS. With the addition of a small amount of GO‐APTS (1.5 wt%) to PI matrix, mechanical properties with the tensile strength and Young's modulus improved by 45% and 15%, respectively. The thermal analysis showed that the thermal stability of PI was slightly enhanced by the incorporation of GO‐APTS (1.5 wt%). This approach provides a strategy for developing high performance functionalized GO‐polymer composite materials. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:907–914, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
A doubly robust estimator for the attributable benefit of a treatment regime
Authors: Brinkley Jason
Published: September 2014

The identification and study of treatment regimes (algorithms or policies for dictating treatments to patients) are a growing area of study in the statistical sciences. Many methods have been put forth to identify the ‘best’ or optimal treatment regime from observed data. Once the optimal treatment regime is identified, a secondary question of interest is to determine the public health impact of that health policy. Simply put, what is the benefit that can be attributed to using such a regime in practice? The attributable benefit of a treatment regime is a measure of the reduction in poor outcomes that would have been observed had the regime of interest been utilized. Methods for identifying the optimal treatment regime can use statistical modeling techniques which are susceptible to model misspecification in the identification of both the optimal treatment regime and its attributable benefit. Using notions from causal inference and building upon previous work, this paper identifies an estimator for attributable benefit that offers a second layer of protection in cases where an outcome regression model may be misspecified. The estimator is dubbed doubly robust in that it is unbiased for the true benefit if either a model for the outcome or a propensity model for treatment is correctly specified. Large sample properties are explored, and two sets of confidence intervals proposed. Simulation studies compare the proposed estimator with previous work, with a focus on model misspecification. The estimator is applied to real data to examine its utility in practice. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.