757 research outputs found
Automated Test Assembly in R: The eatATA Package
Combining items from an item pool into test forms (test assembly) is a frequent task in psychological and educational testing. Although efficient methods for automated test assembly exist, these are often unknown or unavailable to practitioners. In this paper we present the R package eatATA, which allows using several mixed-integer programming solvers for automated test assembly in R. We describe the general functionality and the common work flow of eatATA using a minimal example. We also provide four more elaborate use cases of automated test assembly: (a) The assembly of multiple test forms for a pilot study; (b) the assembly of blocks of items for a multiple matrix booklet design in the context of a large-scale assessment; (c) the assembly of two linear test forms for individual diagnostic purposes; (d) the assembly of multi-stage testing modules for individual diagnostic purposes. All use cases are accompanied with example item pools and commented R code.Peer Reviewe
Pauli Paramagnetic Effects on Vortices in Superconducting TmNi2B2C
The magnetic field distribution around the vortices in TmNi2B2C in the
paramagnetic phase was studied experimentally as well as theoretically. The
vortex form factor, measured by small-angle neutron scattering, is found to be
field independent up to 0.6 Hc2 followed by a sharp decrease at higher fields.
The data are fitted well by solutions to the Eilenberger equations when
paramagnetic effects due to the exchange interaction with the localized 4f Tm
moments are included. The induced paramagnetic moments around the vortex cores
act to maintain the field contrast probed by the form factor.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Structural Transition Kinetics and Activated Behavior in the Superconducting Vortex Lattice
Using small-angle neutron scattering, we investigated the behavior of a
metastable vortex lattice state in MgB2 as it is driven towards equilibrium by
an AC magnetic field. This shows an activated behavior, where the AC field
amplitude and cycle count are equivalent to, respectively, an effective
"temperature" and "time". The activation barrier increases as the metastable
state is suppressed, corresponding to an aging of the vortex lattice.
Furthermore, we find a cross-over from a partial to a complete suppression of
metastable domains depending on the AC field amplitude, which may empirically
be described by a single free parameter. This represents a novel kind of
collective vortex behavior, most likely governed by the nucleation and growth
of equilibrium vortex lattice domains.Comment: 5 pages plus 3 pages of supplemental materia
The dehydration, rehydration and tectonic setting of greenstone belts in a portion of the northern Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa
High-grade gneiss terranes and low-grade granite-greenstone terranes are well known in several Archaean domains. The geological relationship between these different crustal regions, however, is still controversial. One school of thought favors fundamental genetic differences between high-grade and low-grade terranes while others argue for a depth-controlled crustal evolution. The detailed examination of well-exposed Archaean terranes at different metamorphic grades, therefore, is not only an important source of information about the crustal levels exposed, but also is critical to the understanding of the possible tectonic and metamorphic evolution of greenstone belts with time. Three South African greenstone belts are compared
Topological energy barrier for skyrmion lattice formation in MnSi
We report the direct measurement of the topological skyrmion energy barrier
through a hysteresis of the skyrmion lattice in the chiral magnet MnSi.
Measurements were made using small-angle neutron scattering with a custom-built
resistive coil to allow for high-precision minor hysteresis loops. The
experimental data was analyzed using an adapted Preisach model to quantify the
energy barrier for skyrmion formation and corroborated by the minimum-energy
path analysis based on atomistic spin simulations. We reveal that the skyrmion
lattice in MnSi forms from the conical phase progressively in small domains,
each of which consisting of hundreds of skyrmions, and with an activation
barrier of several eV.Comment: Final accepted versio
Role of nitric oxide in Salmonella typhimurium-mediated cancer cell killing
Background: Bacterial targeting of tumours is an important anti-cancer strategy. We previously showed that strain SL7838 of Salmonella typhimurium targets and kills cancer cells. Whether NO generation by the bacteria has a role in SL7838 lethality to cancer cells is explored. This bacterium has the mechanism for generating NO, but also for decomposing it. Methods: Mechanism underlying Salmonella typhimurium tumour therapy was investigated through in vitro and in vivo studies. NO measurements were conducted either by chemical assays (in vitro) or using Biosensors (in vivo). Cancer cells cytotoxic assay were done by using MTS. Bacterial cell survival and tumour burden were determined using molecular imaging techniques. Results: SL7838 generated nitric oxide (NO) in anaerobic cell suspensions, inside infected cancer cells in vitro and in implanted 4T1 tumours in live mice, the last, as measured using microsensors. Thus, under these conditions, the NO generating pathway is more active than the decomposition pathway. The latter was eliminated, in strain SL7842, by the deletion of hmp- and norV genes, making SL7842 more proficient at generating NO than SL7838. SL7842 killed cancer cells more effectively than SL7838 in vitro, and this was dependent on nitrate availability. This strain was also ca. 100% more effective in treating implanted 4T1 mouse tumours than SL7838
Real-Time Microsensor Measurement of Local Metabolic Activities in Ex Vivo Dental Biofilms Exposed to Sucrose and Treated with Chlorhexidine
Dental biofilms are characterized by structural and functional heterogeneity. Due to bacterial metabolism, gradients develop and diverse ecological microniches exist. The aims of this study were (i) to determine the metabolic activity of microorganisms in naturally grown dental biofilms ex vivo by measuring dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH profiles with microelectrodes with high spatial resolution and (ii) to analyze the impact of an antimicrobial chlorhexidine (CHX) treatment on microbial physiology during stimulation by sucrose in real time. Biofilms were cultivated on standardized human enamel surfaces in vivo. DO and pH profiles were measured in a flow cell system in sterile human saliva, after sucrose addition (10%), again after alternative treatment of the sucrose exposed biofilms with CHX (0.2%) for 1 or 10 min or after being killed with paraformaldehyde (4%). Biofilm structure was visualized by vitality staining with confocal microscopy. With saliva as the sole nutrient source oxygen consumption was high within the superficial biofilm layers rendering deeper layers (>220 μm) anoxic. Sucrose addition induced the thickness of the anaerobic zone to increase with a concurrent decrease in pH (7.1 to 4.4). CHX exposure reduced metabolic activity and microbial viability at the biofilm surface and drove metabolic activity deeper into the biofilm. CHX treatment led to a reduced viability at the biofilm surface with minor influence on overall biofilm physiology after 1 min; even after 10 min there was measurable respiration and fermentation inside the biofilm. However, the local microenvironment was more aerated, less acidogenic, and presumably less pathogenic
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