The use of the bi-factor model to test the uni-dimensionality of a battery of reasoning tests

Resumen tomado de la publicación

Assessing the quality of tests : Revision of the EFPA review model

Resumen tomado de la publicación

Invariance levels across language versions of the PISA 2009 reading comprehension tests in Spain

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Application of cognitive diagnosis models to competency-based situational judgment tests

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Estimating the reliability coefficient of tests in presence of missing values

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Inequalities of the results of the PISA tests due to teacher???s factors : differences between countries

T??tulo, resumen y palabras clave tambi??n en espa??ol

Traditional scores versus IRT estimates on forced-choice tests based on a dominance model

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A comparison of discriminant logistic regression and Item Response Theory Likelihood-Ratio Tests for Differential Item Functioning (IRTLRDIF) in polytomous short tests

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Oxidation of silicon: further tests for the interfacial silicon emission model

The classical description of Si oxidation given by Deal and Grove has well-known limitations for thin oxides (below 200 Ã). Among the large number of alternative models published so far, the interfacial emission model has shown the greatest ability to fit the experimental oxidation curves. It relies on the assumption that during oxidation Si interstitials are emitted to the oxide to release strain and that the accumulation of these interstitials near the interface reduces the reaction rate there. The resulting set of differential equations makes it possible to model diverse oxidation experiments. In this paper, we have compared its predictions with two sets of experiments: (1) the pressure dependence for subatmospheric oxygen pressure and (2) the enhancement of the oxidation rate after annealing in inert atmosphere. The result is not satisfactory and raises serious doubts about the model’s correctness

Optimal management of natural resources. Accounting for heterogeneity

Dynamic optimization methods have become increasingly important over the last years in economics. Within the dynamic optimization techniques employed, optimal control has emerged as the most powerful tool for the theoretical economic analysis. However, there is the need to advance further and take account that many dynamic economic processes are, in addition, dependent on some other parameter different than time. One can think of relaxing the assumption of a representative (homogeneous) agent in macro- and micro-economic applications allowing for heterogeneity among the agents. For instance, the optimal adaptation and diffusion of a new technology over time, may depend on the age of the person that adopted the new technology. Therefore, the economic models must take account of heterogeneity conditions within the dynamic framework. This thesis intends to accomplish two goals. The first goal is to analyze and revise existing environmental policies that focus on defining the optimal management of natural resources over time, by taking account of the heterogeneity of environmental conditions. Thus, the thesis makes a policy orientated contribution in the field of environmental policy by defining the necessary changes to transform an environmental policy based on the assumption of homogeneity into an environmental policy which takes account of heterogeneity. As a result the newly defined environmental policy will be more efficient and likely also politically more acceptable since it is tailored more specifically to the heterogeneous environmental conditions. Additionally to its policy orientated contribution, this thesis aims making a methodological contribution by applying a new optimization technique for solving problems where the control variables depend on two or more arguments --- the so-called two-stage solution approach ---, and by applying a numerical method --- the Escalator Boxcar Train Method --- for solving distributed optimal control problems, i.e., problems where the state variables, in addition to the control variables, depend on two or more arguments. Chapter 2 presents a theoretical framework to determine optimal resource allocation over time for the production of a good by heterogeneous producers, who generate a stock externalit and derives government policies to modify the behavior of competitive producers in order to achieve optimality. Chapter 3 illustrates the method in a more specific context, and integrates the aspects of quality and time, presenting a theoretical model that allows to determine the socially optimal outcome over time and space for the problem of waterlogging in irrigated agricultural production. Chapter 4 of this thesis concentrates on forestry resources and analyses the optimal selective-logging regime of a size-distributed forest.

Inter-comparisons of articulation tests on normal and hard-of-hearing listeners

This paper discusses a study undertaken to test various speech discrimination tests.

A comparison of the QuickSIN and TEN tests: two recent tests designed to predict patient benefit from high frequency amplification

This paper presents a comparison of two tests designed to predict which hearing impaired patients may benefit from high frequency amplification.

An analysis of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests and the Diagnostic Reading Scales for use with hearing-impaired children

This paper examines two individually administered diagnostic reading tests, the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests and the Diagnostic Reading Scales, to determine their value for use with hearing-impaired children.

Comparison of video and toy reinforcers to motivate infants/toddlers for hearing tests

This paper is a study of the effectiveness between video and toy reinforcer types to motivate infants/toddlers for hearing tests. No significant differences were found between age groups or gender. Toy reinforcers were found to produce on average two more threshold estimates compared to video reinforcers. Variety, color and animation of animals may have contributed to this difference.

Comparing two receptive vocabulary tests: The receptive one word vocabulary test and the peabody picture vocabulary test

This paper discusses a study to determine whether the Receptive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test is more useful than the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test in assessing the vocabularies of hearing imparied children.