Automated Essay Scoring: A Literature Review

In recent decades, large-scale English language proficiency testing and testing research have seen an increased interest in constructed-response essay-writing items (Aschbacher, 1991; Powers, Burstein, Chodorow, Fowles, & Kukich, 2001; Weigle, 2002). The TOEFL iBT, for example, includes two constructed-response writing tasks, one of which is an integrative task requiring the test-taker to write in response to information delivered both aurally and in written form (Educational Testing Service, n.d.). Similarly, the IELTS academic test requires test-takers to write in response to a question that relates to a chart or graph that the test-taker must read and interpret (International English Language Testing System, n.d.). Theoretical justification for the use of such integrative, constructed-response tasks (i.e., tasks which require the test-taker to draw upon information received through several modalities in support of a communicative function) date back to at least the early 1960’s. Carroll (1961, 1972) argued that tests which measure linguistic knowledge alone fail to predict the knowledge and abilities that score users are most likely to be interested in, i.e., prediction of actual use of language knowledge for communicative purposes in specific contexts

Diagnostic Second Language Assessment in the Classroom

The term diagnosis is familiar, and refers to the identification of disease or disorder in an individual. In the broadest sense, then, diagnostic second language (L2) assessment refers to any L2 assessment practice, whether in the form of a formal written test or informal teacher questioning, that yields diagnostic feedback—information on learner strengths and weaknesses. In low-stakes classroom contexts, where psychometric rigor is sacrificed for the attention and rich intuitions of teachers, informal diagnostic assessment occurs on a regular basis in the form of student questioning, explanation, and the provision of written feedback on quizzes, tests, and written work. Indeed, Huff and Goodman (2007) showed that K-12 science and language arts teachers highly value diagnostic feedback and prefer assessments which yield detailed information that can be used to identify the instructional needs of individual learners. Despite this apparent interest on the part of teachers in the diagnostic function of assessment, Alderson (2005, 2007) points out that diagnostic testing has been largely neglected in the L2 literature. Fundamental questions regarding the proper domain and application of diagnostic testing are unresolved: Must a diagnostic L2 test measure proficiency and be based on a theoretical model of L2 ability, or can diagnostic assessment be equally applied to achievement in a curriculum? Where does the boundary between formative assessment and diagnostic assessment lie? What kinds of feedback, and at what level of detail, are most beneficial to L2 learners

Technological Growth and L2 Construct Definition: Will Applied Linguistics Keep Pace with Language Users?

Chapelle (2003) coined the phrase “tunnel of efficiency” to describe what she considers a truncation of vision on the part of applied linguists who have studied technological innovations in L2 assessment. This nearsightedness, she argues, has led to an overemphasis of research that serves immediate practical considerations, i.e., faster, more efficient delivery and scoring of traditional tests. Underemphasized is the question of how the rapidly advancing availability and widespread use of new technology can or should change L2 constructs. To maintain the relevance of our field and coherently evaluate the validity of L2 assessment use arguments, we must pay attention to these questions

Femtosecond pulse generation in passively mode locked InAs quantum dot lasers

Optical pulse durations of an InAs two-section passively mode-locked quantum dot laser with a proton bombarded absorber section reduce from 8.4 ps at 250K to 290 fs at 20 K, a factor of 29, with a corresponding increase in optical bandwidth. Rate equation analysis of gain and emission spectra using rate equations suggests this is due to the very low emission rate of carriers to the wetting layer in the low temperature, random population regime which enables dots across the whole inhomogeneous distribution to act as independent oscillators. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC

Использование принципа клиентоориентированности при формировании стратегии развития предприятий

Материалы межвуз. науч. конф. студентов, магистрантов и аспирантов, Гомель, 15 мая 2008 г

“Hello Computer, how am I feeling?”, case studies of neural technology to measure emotions

Emotion is a core part of the human experience. Many artistic and creative applications attempt to produce particular emotional experiences, for example, films, games, music, dance, and other visual arts. However, while emotional states are ubiquitous, they are also complex, proving difficult to describe to others by conventional psychometric means (e.g., traditional self-report mechanisms). Neural technology offers the potential to circumvent these difficulties by allowing the creation of a real-time, objective, metric of felt emotion to assist in emotionally driven experience design across a range of disciplines. This chapter discusses how neural technology based on the processing of the electroencephalogram may be used to measure human emotions in natural environments. We also present a set of case studies of applications that use neural technology to measure emotions. We are particularly interested in the use of neural technology to inform applications which can respond to the felt experience of the individual. We describe two case studies focused on driving scenarios and brain–computer music interfacing. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the challenges inherent in developing neural technology to measure emotion and a set of suggestions for future research directions in developing applications that use neural technology as an objective measure of emotion

Performance of the McGill Interactive Pediatric OncoGenetic Guidelines for Identifying Cancer Predisposition Syndromes

IMPORTANCE: Prompt recognition of a child with a cancer predisposition syndrome (CPS) has implications for cancer management, surveillance, genetic counseling, and cascade testing of relatives. Diagnosis of CPS requires practitioner expertise, access to genetic testing, and test result interpretation. This diagnostic process is not accessible in all institutions worldwide, leading to missed CPS diagnoses. Advances in electronic health technology can facilitate CPS risk assessment. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a CPS prediction tool (McGill Interactive Pediatric OncoGenetic Guidelines [MIPOGG]) in identifying children with cancer who have a low or high likelihood of having a CPS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this international, multicenter diagnostic accuracy study, 1071 pediatric (\u3c19 years of age) oncology patients who had a confirmed CPS (12 oncology referral centers) or who underwent germline DNA sequencing through precision medicine programs (6 centers) from January 1, 2000, to July 31, 2020, were studied. EXPOSURES: Exposures were MIPOGG application in patients with cancer and a confirmed CPS (diagnosed through routine clinical care; n = 413) in phase 1 and MIPOGG application in patients with cancer who underwent germline DNA sequencing (n = 658) in phase 2. Study phases did not overlap. Data analysts were blinded to genetic test results. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The performance of MIPOGG in CPS recognition was compared with that of routine clinical care, including identifying a CPS earlier than practitioners. The tool\u27s test characteristics were calculated using next-generation germline DNA sequencing as the comparator. RESULTS: In phase 1, a total of 413 patients with cancer (median age, 3.0 years; range, 0-18 years) and a confirmed CPS were identified. MIPOGG correctly recognized 410 of 412 patients (99.5%) as requiring referral for CPS evaluation at the time of primary cancer diagnosis. Nine patients diagnosed with a CPS by a practitioner after their second malignant tumor were detected by MIPOGG using information available at the time of the first cancer. In phase 2, of 658 children with cancer (median age, 6.6 years; range, 0-18.8 years) who underwent comprehensive germline DNA sequencing, 636 had sufficient information for MIPOGG application. When compared with germline DNA sequencing for CPS detection, the MIPOGG test characteristics for pediatric-onset CPSs were as follows: sensitivity, 90.7%; specificity, 60.5%; positive predictive value, 17.6%; and negative predictive value, 98.6%. Tumor DNA sequencing data confirmed the MIPOGG recommendation for CPS evaluation in 20 of 22 patients with established cancer-CPS associations. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this diagnostic study, MIPOGG exhibited a favorable accuracy profile for CPS screening and reduced time to CPS recognition. These findings suggest that MIPOGG implementation could standardize and rationalize recommendations for CPS evaluation in children with cancer

Performance of the eHealth decision support tool, MIPOGG, for recognising children with Li-Fraumeni, DICER1, Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency and Gorlin syndromes.

BACKGROUND Cancer predisposition syndromes (CPSs) are responsible for at least 10% of cancer diagnoses in children and adolescents, most of which are not clinically recognised prior to cancer diagnosis. A variety of clinical screening guidelines are used in healthcare settings to help clinicians detect patients who have a higher likelihood of having a CPS. The McGill Interactive Pediatric OncoGenetic Guidelines (MIPOGG) is an electronic health decision support tool that uses algorithms to help clinicians determine if a child/adolescent diagnosed with cancer should be referred to genetics for a CPS evaluation. METHODS This study assessed MIPOGG's performance in identifying Li-Fraumeni, DICER1, Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency and Gorlin (nevoid basal cell carcinoma) syndromes in a retrospective series of 84 children diagnosed with cancer and one of these four CPSs in Canadian hospitals over an 18-year period. RESULTS MIPOGG detected 82 of 83 (98.8%) evaluable patients with any one of these four genetic conditions and demonstrated an appropriate rationale for suggesting CPS evaluation. When compared with syndrome-specific clinical screening criteria, MIPOGG's ability to correctly identify children with any of the four CPSs was equivalent to, or outperformed, existing clinical criteria respective to each CPS. CONCLUSION This study adds evidence that MIPOGG is an appropriate tool for CPS screening in clinical practice. MIPOGG's strength is that it starts with a specific cancer diagnosis and incorporates criteria relevant for associated CPSs, making MIPOGG a more universally accessible diagnostic adjunct that does not require in-depth knowledge of each CPS