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The study explores the unaddressed washback on the English-speaking test of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE-English Language Paper 4). The HKDSE is a university entrance exam in Hong Kong which includes a group discussion speaking test known as English Language Paper 4. To identify ongoing washback effects, including sociocultural perspectives, the study analyses ongoing student washback of test-specific and non-specific preparation and how the mediating factors affect these preparations. One-hundred and ninety-nine secondary 4th to 6th grade students provided the questionnaire data in two rounds. Results from exploratory factor analysis indicate six major types of test preparation, which are categorised as two test specific, three non-specific, and one integrated type of preparation. Mediating factors comprise five categories of learner characteristics and stakeholders in and out of school. The cluster analyses identified four students' groups intertwined with the involvement of washback and the mediating factors. A strong relationship between extrinsic factors and explicit learning and intrinsic factors and implicit learning was found. The study concludes that students' washback is affected by mediating factors aside from the test; learning method choice by students (e.g. learning from entertainment content) has a strong relationship with specific mediating factors (e.g. interest in English).

This study aims to validate a data collection tool's psychometric properties to explore whether business management research's relevance is a high-order construct made up of its perceived interest and perceived relevance. The authors conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to validate a two-factor scale. The sample was composed of 148 MBA students from a Peruvian business school. Results showed the appropriate levels of validity and reliability and confirmed the usefulness of this data set for exploring the relationship between perceived interest and relevance. Businesses and schools can replicate the validated tool for reviewing their curricula and teaching practices, exploring the gap between business and management research results and advancing managers' research literacy and evidence-based practice in business education and training.

This study compared syntactic complexity between undergraduate students' research papers and published research papers. A 2 (Groups: experts, students) × 4 (Sections: introduction, methods, results, discussions) mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted on each of the following variables: T-unit length, clause density, the frequencies of adverbial clauses, relative clauses, and nominal clauses. The analyses showed there were longer T-units and fewer adverbial clauses in the published papers than in the student papers. Section effects were robust. Qualitative analyses were further conducted to reveal how the student research paper is different from the published papers syntactically. Implications for education were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's pulp and paper industry (CPPI) has been always the main carbon emission source in recent years. However, the analysis on influencing factors of carbon emissions from this industry is insufficient. To address the issue, the CO2 emissions from CPPI are estimated in the period of 2005–2019, the driving factors of CO2 emissions are investigated by the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method, the decoupling state of economic growth and CO2 emissions is determined by Tapio decoupling model, and finally, future CO2 emissions are predicted under four scenarios by the STIRPAT model to explore the potential of carbon peaking. The results show that CPPI exhibits a rapid increase and a fluctuating downward trend in CO2 emissions during the period of 2005–2013 and 2014–2019, respectively. The main promoting and inhibiting factors to the increase of CO2 emission are per capita industrial output value and energy intensity, respectively. There are five decoupling states of CO2 emissions and economic growth during the study period, and the CO2 emissions exhibit a weak decoupling state with the industrial output value growth in most years of the study period. It is very difficult to realize the carbon peaking goal by 2030 under the baseline and fast development scenarios. Therefore, efficient low carbon and strong low-carbon development policies are necessary and urgent for the realization of carbon peaking goal and the sustainable development of CPPI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Less than 65% of wastepaper can be recycled, and the remaining wastepaper may end up polluting groundwater and generating greenhouse gas emissions if disposed improperly by using traditional approaches. The concept of circular supply chain practices, which integrates circular thinking into supply chain practices that aim to reach zero waste by exploring novel business models and supply chain functions, has been proposed to address this issue. However, previous studies implementing this concept lacked appropriate methods for structuring an influential model to guide resource allocation, which caused difficulty in developing circular supply chain practices. Thus, a hybrid method is proposed to integrate factor analysis with fuzzy synthetic and decision-making and trial evaluation laboratory methods to enable visual analysis and boost understanding. The results reveal that awareness and engagement are the most influential factors in attempts to achieve zero waste, rather than the recycling, reuse and reduction practices emphasised by previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose;Aiming at the problem of low comprehensive utilization efficiency of coal waste in China,this paper aims to study the influence of reservoir coal pillar dam on the evolution of mine water quality. Method;In this paper,the long-flame coal and different mine water sources in the low-rank coal of Wulanmulun coal mine are taken as an example. The coal-water interaction process is simulated by the indoor static immersion experiment. From the perspective of water chemical composition,correlation analysis,factor analysis,and other statistical methods are used to explore the control factors of different mine water quality evolution under the influence of long-flame coal. Result; After analysis,it was found that the initial hydrochemical types of the four types of water samples were inconsistent, and evolved into HCO3 -SO4-Na-Ca type and SO4-HCO3 -Na-Ca type after reaction. The cumulative variance contribution rates of the main control factors of the four types of water samples were 82. 52%,80. 07%,80. 68%, and 80. 02%, respectively, which all met the principle that the cumulative variance contribution exceeded 80%. Conclusion; Long flame coal has different effects on surface water and ground water. The synergistic effect of coal-water mainly includes the dissolution of various minerals (carbonate rock, silicate rock, sulfate rock salt, etc. ) and cation exchange. The main factors of surface water and groundwater quality evolution are the dissolution of carbonate minerals and cation exchange,respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand consumers' perceptual cognition of Zhangpu paper-cut patterns and grasp the innovative application direction. The four design elements of paper-cut patterns were extracted by morphological analysis, and representative perceptual vocabulary were selected using Kansei engineering theory and factor analysis, then the design elements and perceptual evaluation scores of representative words are used as the input and output data of the GWO-BP neural network, respectively, to establish an intelligent model that can predict consumers' perceptual cognition of paper-cut patterns. To verify the superiority of the model, the predicted result of BP and FA-BP are compared with GWO-BP neural network. The results show that although the convergence speed of the GWO-BP model is slightly lower than that of the FA-BP model, its prediction accuracy is significantly better than other algorithms. Designers can use the model to quickly redesign the paper-cut pattern to better meet the aesthetic needs of modern consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an expectation that health professions schools respond to priority societal health needs. This expectation is largely based on the underlying assumption that schools are aware of the priority needs in their communities. This paper demonstrates how open-access, pan-national health data can be used to create a reliable health index to assist schools in identifying societal needs and advance social accountability in health professions education. Using open-access data, a psychometric evaluation was conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the Canadian Health Indicators Framework (CHIF) conceptual model. A non-linear confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on 67 health indicators, at the health-region level (n = 97) was used to assess the model fit of the hypothesized 10-factor model. Reliability analysis using McDonald's Omega were conducted, followed by Pearson's correlation coefficients. Findings from the non-linear CFA rejected the original conceptual model structure of the CHIF. Exploratory post hoc analyses were conducted using modification indices and parameter constraints to improve model fit. A final 5-factor multidimensional model demonstrated superior fit, reducing the number of indicators from 67 to 32. The 5-factors included: Health Conditions (8-indicators); Health Functions (6-indicators); Deaths (5-indicators); Non-Medical Health Determinants (7-indicators); and Community & Health System Characteristics (6-indicators). All factor loadings were statistically significant (p < 0.001) and demonstrated excellent internal consistency ([omega]>0.95). Many schools struggle to identify and measure socially accountable outcomes. The process highlighted in this paper and the indices developed serve as starting points to allow schools to leverage open-access data as an initial step in identifying societal needs.

This article analyses high-consistency pulp refining using a disk refiner. During the experiment, the size of the gap between the rotor and stator cutters (0.5 to 1.5 mm), rotor speed (2,000 to 2,500 rpm), pulp consistency (10 to 20%), and freeness value (15 to 60 °SR) of the pulp were varied. The refining results were characterised by changes in 10 output parameters: morphological properties of cellulose fibres (average length, width, fibrillation index, water retention value, average kink angle, and coarseness) and the physical and mechanical characteristics of handsheets (breaking length, bursting strength, tearing resistance, and folding endurance). A total of 56 observations were made on the samples. Factor and cluster analysis methods were used to study the structure of correlations between the output parameters. More than 96% of the total dispersion of all output parameters was due to a change in two latent (hidden) factors: the first one was responsible for 79.6% of the dispersion and is presumably identified as the degree of external fibre fibrillation and the second one (16.6% of the dispersion) as fibre flexibility (including coarseness and average kink angle). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learner engagement is well-established as critical for learning online. Professional development for online instructors emphasizes techniques for engaging students, and learning technology products tout features intended to promote engagement (e.g., adaptive content, video, gamification). But the influence of particular instructor practices and of particular learning technology features on theory-based aspects of student engagement is infrequently tested empirically, and even more rarely with Black, Latine, and low-income students, who are more likely to face barriers to learning online. This paper first provides a research-based theoretical model of affective engagement developed in conjunction with ongoing studies of blended learning implementations of courseware designed to enhance learning and engagement among historically and systemically marginalized students. Next, the paper describes development of survey-based measures of four components of affective engagement and the use of responses from over 850 students in introductory statistics courses to evaluate the reliability and factor structure of those measures. We conclude with implications for use of the engagement measures in future improvement-oriented research and practice.

As organic waste is converted to usable amendments via composting, there are large CO2 emissions associated with the decomposition of organic matter via microorganisms. While the active composting phase produces the largest emissions over a short duration, compost can often be stored during and after the maturation phase for much longer periods of time, increasing cumulative emissions. As such, the objectives of this study were to examine the spatial and temporal variability associated with in situ emissions sampling while identifying the environmental and chemical controls on emissions in windrow composting facilities during and after the maturation phase. A total of 665 flux measurements were taken from four windrows representing different ages and compositions between June and November 2020. Factorial analysis of covariance (ANOVA) was used to determine the variability between sampling locations, while multiple linear regression was used to identify those parameters which had the most influence on CO2 flux. Emissions showed significant variability over time that were attributed to ambient temperatures. During the summer, each windrow reached peak emissions between 5.0 and 32.3 g CO2 m-2 hr-1. As temperatures cooled, the windrows saw a 62%-86% decline in emissions, generally falling below 2 g CO2 m-2 hr-1. Significant differences occurred between the top-most sampling location and all others on the windrow, emitting between 33%-100% more CO2. The environmental controls of surface temperature, moisture content, and internal temperature showed the highest influence on emissions (R2 = 0.62). Chemical properties including organic nitrogen, carbon, pH, magnesium, and nitrate also showed significant influence (R2 = 0.43). This research has shown that environmental factors including temperature and moisture show the strongest influence over emission rates in mature compost. A significant negative effect of organic nitrogen on CO2 flux was found, indicating that increased presence of organic nitrogen would aid in the retention of carbon after the maturation phase, acting to lower total emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mandatory switch to online education due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, technology has gained more importance for online teaching and learning environments. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) is one of the validated frameworks widely used to examine online learning. In this paper, we offer an extension to the CoI framework and survey, arguing that meaningful and appropriate use of technologies has become a requirement in today's pandemic and post-pandemic educational contexts. With this goal, we propose adding three technology-related sub-dimensions that would fall under each main presence of the CoI framework: (a) technology for teaching, (b) technology for interaction, and (c) technology for learning. Based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we added 5 items for technology for teaching subdimension, 4 items for technology for interaction sub-dimension, and 5 items for technology for learning sub-dimension in the original CoI survey. Further research and practice implications are also discussed in this paper.

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the key factors through which an optimum pedagogy mix can be determined towards effective teaching practice and enhanced student learning outcomes in business/management education. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory research design has been used. A sample of 310 was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis. A structured questionnaire was developed to collect data. It was pre-tested, and essential modifications were made before its final implementation. Findings: The study has presented the idea of pedagogy mix, which refers to a set of most obvious teaching methods/tools suitable to deliver marketing education in a context-bound manner. Eight factors have been identified that help to decide and/or maintain an optimum mix of pedagogies for effective teaching. An adequate "pedagogy mix" would help achieve educational objectives and equip students with the essential competencies. Practical implications: The study is particularly significant to educators who are in the initial years of their careers. The identified factors help educators decide and/or maintain an optimum mix of pedagogies by offering an understanding of different pedagogies, their strategic relevance and student needs. Originality/value: An institution's academic philosophy and commitment to the learning outcomes make it excellent or poor. Present institutions have and retain a main focus on preparation for professional careers, and without a perfect blend of pedagogies, it cannot be achieved. An optimum pedagogy mix would facilitate the key learning process and proffer the intricacies of the concerned profession. In this sense, this paper is a significant attempt, particularly in management education and higher education in general, that enables the educators of higher academics to decide and utilize an idyllic blend of pedagogies towards the successful execution of an educational process of higher order and ensuring the holistic student development.

STEAM education with gamification, a method that integrates game elements into the learning process, has proven to be a powerful tool. It not only encompasses various forms of gamified education but also has the potential to captivate and inspire students, breathing life into the course material. This study aims to present a comprehensive summary of the research carried out in the domain of STEAM education, with a particular emphasis on gamification. The focus will be on analyzing studies published in the past seven years. A meticulous bibliometric analysis was conducted to investigate the patterns in the published literature on STEAM education with gamification from 2017 to 2023. The relevant documents were retrieved by using keywords related to steam and gamification in the title, abstract, and keywords of the documents. Thus, 34 documents were acquired from the Scopus database for bibliometric analysis. The review analyzes the rate of publication growth, identifies the papers with the highest number of citations, determines the primary sources of these articles, evaluates the productivity of authors, examines the leading countries contributing to the field, and identifies the prominent subject areas within the research domain. Thailand has the highest output level in terms of publications and citations, as inferred from the results of our analysis. The Ceur Workshop Proceedings are widely acknowledged as the foremost scholarly resource in their subject. We have identified the most important keywords related to gamified STEAM education by conducting keyword analysis. Factorial Analysis provides a visual summary of the complex relationships between various concepts related to educational technology.

The main objective of this study is to revise and validate the assessment of self-presentation skills of middle school students. The assessment is based on existing self-assessment scales and adaptively modified for a more accurate assessment of middle school students' self-presentation skills. Considering the characteristics of middle school students and teachers' assessment, we have reconstructed and adjusted the dimensions of the original assessment. This paper includes background research, scale design and innovation, scale testing, and scale reliability and multiple validity verification. In order to further verify the effectiveness and reliability of the tool, this study added the application of content validity and factor analysis on the basis of previous studies. The results of this study are intended to compensate for the limitations of current teacher assessment for middle school students' self-presentation. At the same time, this study also provides a basis for the development of middle school students' self-presentation skills integrated training programs.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze factors that affect the behavioral intentions of undergraduate students to use blended learning methods. The research uses the three-tier use model (3-TUM) to explore the influencing behavioral factors of students at the undergraduate level to use LMSs. "The research was carried out at a university and consisted of undergraduate students majoring in business-related fields. Students responded to online questionnaires administered at the end of the semester concerning their experience with the LMS." A customized Moodle platform was used to measure the user's perceived usefulness, perceived satisfaction, and perceived ease of use with the LMS. Results show that interactivity in portal and self-efficacy have a direct impact on all second-tier constructs, while multimedia instruction influences only perceived usefulness and perceived satisfaction. In addition, perceived usefulness impacts perceived satisfaction. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly impact behavioral intention of students to use learning platforms, while the relation between perceived satisfaction and behavioral intention was unindicative. "The study confirms that the individual experience of users and the quality of the system affect the successful implementation of an LMS and its adoption by users."

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The co-composting of oil palm fronds and paper mill sludge may be economical and eco-friendly, yet the complex indigenous configuration of lignocellulose reduces the bioavailability of waste, resulting in the hindrance to the humification process. In this work, oil palm fronds after hydrothermal pretreatment were mixed with paper mill sludge for co-composting, and the effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on the humification process was explored using excitation-emission matrix-parallel factor analysis and 16S rDNA sequencing. The results showed that the duration of thermophilic phase was extended from 13 days to 17 days after hydrothermal pretreatment. During hydrothermal-pretreated composting, the consumption of protein-like substances and the production of humus-like substances increased by 24.7% and 33.9%, respectively, compared with those of control. The degradation of polysaccharide (decreased from 76.5 to 20.0 g/kg) was accelerated and the content of reducing sugar (ranged from 11.5 to 13.5 g/kg) was increased. The key microbial communities (including Bacillaceae , Sphingobacteriaceae , Streptosporangiaceae and Thermonosporaceae) showed obviously stronger activity. Correlation analysis showed that the production of reducing sugar and the activity of key microbial communities were reinforced, and both were favorable for the rapid synthesis of humus. Collectively, this work provides an overview of a regulatory mechanism underlying humus formation during the composting of lignocellulosic wastes. [Display omitted] • HP of OPF was applied to their co-composting with PMS. • HP significantly improved the humification process during co-composting. • RS content and key microbial communities' activity contributed to humus formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientometric studies play a crucial role in quantitatively assessing the impact and quantity of scholarly articles, providing a basis for policy-making and informed decision-making processes. Given the ongoing transformation within the Saudi scientific community across various domains, it is essential to establish a baseline for high-quality endodontic research. A comprehensive search in the PubMed database, using the keywords ["Saudi" OR "Saudi Arabia"] within the time frame of 2014 to 2021. The screening process involved evaluating the title and abstract of each article, with only those classified as endodontic articles included for analysis in this study. The analysis included factors such as the type of paper, the authors, the citations, and the year of publication. Featuring one or more authors affiliated with a Saudi dental institution, 70 papers were specifically categorized as endodontic papers. The most prevalent type of paper was case reports, accounting for 27 articles (28%), followed by literature reviews with 13 articles (18%). The number of authors ranged from one to ten, with a general trend of increasing publication rates over the years. In terms of citations, only four papers received more than 20 citations, while the majority of papers garnered between one and ten citations. Most articles in the field of endodontics exhibited low-level evidence. Therefore, it is recommended that the quality of research output and evidence be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A practical test that measures the information and communication technology (ICT) skills students need for effectively using ICT in primary education has yet to be developed (Oh et al., 2021). This paper reports on the development, validation, and reliability of a test measuring primary school students' ICT skills required for effectively using ICT (the ECC-ICT test). Objectives: Based on existing literature, three ICT use domains were identified for effectively using ICT--"Effective," "collaborative," and "creative use" of ICT. For these three domains, 24 corresponding teaching objectives were identified from a widely used digital literacy framework. Thirty-four test items cover these teaching objectives in an online test. Methods: A mixed-method approach was used for the ECC-ICT test. Four pilot rounds [superscript (n=25)] implemented qualitative interviews for cognitive validity and refining the test items, followed by a qualitative usability study[superscript (n=6)]. Confirmatory factor analysis and ANOVA provided quantitative insight into the large-scale test administration[superscript (n=575)]. Results and Conclusions: Composite reliability of our conceptual 3-factor confirmatory model showed that the test reliably measured primary school effective use of ICT ([omega] = 0.82), collaborative use of ICT ([omega] = 0.80) and creative use of ICT ([omega] = 0.64). Convergent validity (ranging from 0.41 to 0.46) was acceptable. Internal consistency (ranging from 0.84 to 0.91) and discriminant validity (HTMT values below 0.90) are good. ANOVA results show that mean test scores are higher for students in higher grade levels (p < 0.001). The post hoc Bonferroni results show that most grade-by-grade comparisons are significant (p < 0.001).

The volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous future world has highlighted the importance of critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation (4Cs) in today's classrooms. Framed by the Partnership for 21st-Century Learning (P21) Learning and Innovation theme, the study investigates the perceptions of the 4Cs by secondary school students from four schools in Zimbabwe. Two hundred and thirty-six (236) students participated in this quantitative study. Data were collected using online and paper questionnaires. Exploratory and first-order confirmatory analysis revealed a four-factor model with excellent fit indices. The second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the individual 4Cs were sub-constructs of a higher latent factor, Learning and Innovation (4Cs), where the students strongly endorsed collaboration, followed by communication, critical thinking, creativity, and innovation in decreasing magnitude. Age has a significant influence on critical thinking. The findings highlight the need for teachers to embed critical thinking and creativity activities within collaborative and communication learning activities.

Researchers in second language (L2) and education domain use different statistical methods to assess their constructs of interest. Many L2 constructs emerge from elements/parts, i.e., the elements "define" and "form" the construct and not the other way around. These constructs are referred to as emergent variables (also called components, formative constructs, and composite constructs). Because emergent variables are composed of elements/parts, they should be assessed through confirmatory composite analysis (CCA). Elements of emergent variables represent unique facets of the construct. Thus, such constructs cannot be properly assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) because CFA and its underlying common factor model regard these elements to be similar and interchangeable. Conversely, the elements of an emergent variable uniquely define and form the construct, i.e., they are not similar or interchangeable. Thus, CCA is the preferred approach to empirically validate emergent variables such as language skills L2 students' behavioral engagement and language learning strategies. CCA is based on the composite model, which captures the characteristics of emergent variables more accurately. Aside from the difference in the underlying model, CCA consists of the same steps as CFA, i.e., model specification, model identification, model estimation, and model assessment. In this paper, we explain these steps. and present an illustrative example using publicly available data. In doing so, we show how CCA can be conducted using graphical software packages such as Amos, and we provide the code necessary to conduct CCA in the R package lavaan.

There are growing expectations in Australia and internationally that school educators will engage with and use research to improve their practice. In order to support educators to respond to such expectations, there is a need to be able to accurately assess the levels of educators' research engagement. At present, however, few psychometrically sound instruments are available. Drawing on two studies of Australian educators (n = 1,311) and utilising Rasch analysis, supported by confirmatory factor analysis, this paper reports on the development of a brief eight-item scale that demonstrates validity and reliability and evidenced unidimensionality in the second study. The scale is intended as a quick, easy-to-use tool for educators to gain insights into their beliefs about the value of engaging with research, their actions around using research, and their confidence in finding, interpreting, and judging the quality of relevant research. Notwithstanding the need for further testing, this paper argues that the scale has the potential to be applicable to other educational contexts and to contribute to future research into educators' research engagement and its assessment. The scale can also provide school and education system leaders, as well as evaluators and researchers, with data regarding educators' research engagement over time, allowing for research use supports and resources to be better targeted.

There is no need or point to testing of knowledge, attributes, traits, behaviours or abilities of an individual if information obtained from the test is inaccurate. However, by and large, it seems the estimation of psychometric properties of test items in classroomshas been completely ignored otherwise dying slowly in most testing environments. In the quest to obtain sound and efficient test results, it is imperative that assessorsrely on some psychometric properties to make informed classrooms decisions. These psychometric properties can be estimated using KuderRichardson20 Formula. In this study, 30 multiple-choice items were administered and used for the study. The strength of each item was analysed by looking at their difficulty level and how theydiscriminated among the students. Reliability tests were also conducted in addition to the item analysis to observe the quality of the test as a whole. With lucid prose, KR-20 was used to estimate the psychometric properties of 30 set integrated science test items (which werescored dichotomously)to serve as a primer for assessorsin higher institutions. The procedure produced coefficient value of 0.6915which is approximately 0.7 implying that the reliability of the test was high.The procedure we used to arrive at the obtained coefficient is extensively outlined in the paper. We concluded thatthe suggested procedure (KR-20) for estimating psychometric properties may have a paradigm shift in classroom testing situations where it will communicate to teachers on the efficiency and process of teachermade tests. In essence, this could enhance the quest of obtaining the real knowledge, attributes, traits, behaviours or abilities of students by using test items that are reliable and dependable.

Item response theory (IRT) refers to a family of mathematical models which describe the relationship between latent continuous variables (attributes or characteristics) and their manifestations (dichotomous/polytomous observed outcomes or responses) with regard to a set of item characteristics. Researchers typically use parametric IRT (PIRT) models to measure educational and psychological latent variables. However, PIRT models are based on a set of strong assumptions that often are not satisfied. For this reason, non-parametric IRT (NIRT) models can be more desirable. An exploratory NIRT approach is kernel smoothing IRT (KS-IRT; Ramsay, 1991) which estimates option characteristic curves by non-parametric kernel smoothing technique. This approach only gives graphical representations of item characteristics in a measure and provides preliminary feedback about the performance of items and measures. Although KS-IRT is not a new approach, its application is far from widespread, and it has limited applications in psychological and educational testing. The purpose of the present paper is to give a reader-friendly introduction to the KS-IRT, and then use the KernSmoothIRT package (Mazza et al., 2014, 2022) in R to straightforwardly demonstrate the application of the approach using data of Children's Test Anxiety scale.

Urine is the best specimen for the diagnosis of congenital cytomegalovirus, but collection and processing of liquid urine are impractical for screening. Urine dried on filter paper was processed by the same convenient, low-cost method used by newborn screening to test blood spots and showed high sensitivity and specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]