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In multidimensional computerized adaptive testing (MCAT), item selection strategies are generally constructed based on responses, and they do not consider the response times required by items. This study constructed two new criteria (referred to as DT-inc and DT) for MCAT item selection by utilizing information from response times. The new designs maximize the amount of information per unit time. Furthermore, these two new designs were extended to the DT[subscript S]-inc and DT[subscript S] designs to efficiently estimate intentional abilities. Moreover, the EAP method for ability estimation was also equipped with response time. The performances of the response-time-based EAP (RT-based EAP) and the new designs were evaluated in simulation and empirical studies. The results showed that the RT-based EAP significantly improved the ability estimation precision compared with the EAP without using response time, and the new designs dramatically saved testing times for examinees with a small sacrifice of ability estimation precision and item pool usage.

Building an intelligent English grading teaching model helps to improve English teaching and students’ English performance in colleges and universities. In this paper, the PLS-ELM model is constructed from partial least squares as the base algorithm, the concept of an extreme learning machine is introduced, and the principal component score of the PLS algorithm is used to the number of neuron nodes of ELM, and then the adjustment of weights is realized. The principal components of PLS were used to analyze the selection of independent variables for the English-graded teaching model. The effectiveness of the English-graded teaching model was verified by comparing students’ satisfaction with teaching evaluation and performance after teaching implementation. Regarding student satisfaction, the percentages of those evaluated as very satisfied, generally satisfied, and dissatisfied were 53.71%, 32.86%, and 13.43%, respectively. Regarding students’ performance, the average score of students in the experimental group was 88.6, 14.62% higher than the English performance of the control group. This shows that the English grading teaching mode can improve students’ English learning performance, enhancing students’ own quality and professional ability, improving university English teaching, and cultivating students’ English application ability.

Hemodialysis therapy is the primary treatment for end-stage renal disease with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life and survival time. In the context of limited medical resources and the global prevalence of COVID-19, incremental hemodialysis, as a means of individualizing the dialysis regimen according to the patient's residual renal function, can not only better protect the residual renal function by individualizing the assessment of the patient's dialysis adequacy in multiple dimensions without affecting the hospitalization and survival rate, but also can reduce the medical burden and the risk of COVID-19 infection in hemodialysis patients. This review explains the concept, conditions of implementation, background, advantages and limitations of incremental hemodialysis, and aims to show that incremental hemodialysis will be an important strategy to achieve a balance among medical safety, survival, quality of life, and medical costs in the current medical and social environment in line with the requirements of precision medicine, and deserves further attention.

Intestinal stromal cells are known to modulate the propagation and differentiation of intestinal stem cells.sup.1,2. However, the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms by which this diverse stromal cell population maintains tissue homeostasis and repair are poorly understood. Here we describe a subset of intestinal stromal cells, named MAP3K2-regulated intestinal stromal cells (MRISCs), and show that they are the primary cellular source of the WNT agonist R-spondin 1 following intestinal injury in mice. MRISCs, which are epigenetically and transcriptomically distinct from subsets of intestinal stromal cells that have previously been reported.sup.3-6, are strategically localized at the bases of colon crypts, and function to maintain LGR5.sup.+ intestinal stem cells and protect against acute intestinal damage through enhanced R-spondin 1 production. Mechanistically, this MAP3K2 specific function is mediated by a previously unknown reactive oxygen species (ROS)-MAP3K2-ERK5-KLF2 axis to enhance production of R-spondin 1. Our results identify MRISCs as a key component of an intestinal stem cell niche that specifically depends on MAP3K2 to augment WNT signalling for the regeneration of damaged intestine. A subset of intestinal stromal cells that is regulated by the kinase MAP3K2 protects intestinal stem cells against injury by producing the WNT agonist R-spondin 1., Author(s): Ningbo Wu [sup.1] [sup.2] , Hongxiang Sun [sup.1] [sup.2] , Xiaoyun Zhao [sup.1] [sup.2] , Yao Zhang [sup.1] [sup.3] , Jianmei Tan [sup.1] [sup.2] , Yuanyuan Qi [sup.1] , [...]

The electrochemical activity and stability of the PBCO electrode are investigated under the annealing processes in an atmosphere containing CO2/H2O for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The electrochemical impedance spectrum results unequivocally confirm the significant deterioration in PBCO cathode performance upon annealing under ambient air conditions, particularly when exposed to CO2/H2O atmospheres. Microstructure and surface chemical state analyses reveal the segregation of BaO on the PBCO surface, and the formation of insulating BaCO3 degraded the electrochemical performance. CO2 and H2O exhibit a significant induced effect on the segregation of Ba in PBCO to the surfaces, thereby causing a rapid decline in electrode performance. Additionally, the analysis of volume relaxation reveals that the presence of oxygen in the electrode environment can also influence the deposition process occurring on the surface of the electrode. However, this phenomenon is not observed in N2. This study emphasizes the impact of various gases present in the working atmosphere on surface-separated BaO, which consequently plays a pivotal role in the activity and long-term stability of PBCO electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic afterglow is a fascinating phenomenon with exceptional applications. However, it encounters challenges such as low intensity and efficiency, and typically requires UV-light excitation and facile intersystem crossing (ISC) due to its spin-forbidden nature. Here, we develop a novel strategy that bypasses the conventional ISC pathway by promoting singlet-triplet transition through the synergistic effects of the intra/intermolecular heavy-atom effect in aromatic crystals, enabling the direct population of triplet excited states from the ground state. The resulting materials exhibit a bright organic afterglow with a remarkably enhanced quantum efficiency of up to 5.81%, and a significantly increased organic afterglow lifetime of up to 157 microseconds under visible light. Moreover, given the high-efficiency visible-light excitable organic afterglow emission, the potential application is demonstrated in lifetime-resolved, color-encoded, and excitation wavelength-dependent pattern encryption. This work demonstrates the importance of the direct population method in enhancing the organic afterglow performance and red-shifting the excitation wavelength, and provides crucial insights for advancing organic optoelectronic technologies that involve triplet states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]