Toward a theory relating text complexity, reader ability, and reading comprehension.

Validity of specification equations used by auto-text processors to estimate theoretical text complexity have increased importance because of the Common Core State Standards. Theoretical estimates of text complexity will inform (a) setting standards for college and career readiness, (b) grade-level standards, matching readers to text, and (d) creating a daily diet of stretch and targeted text designed to grow reading ability and content knowledge. The purpose of this research was to investigate the specification equation used in the Lexile Framework for Reading to measure text complexity.

Causal Rasch models.

Rasch's unidimensional models for measurement show how to connect object measures (e.g., reader abilities), measurement mechanisms (e.

Testing for environmentally induced bias in phenotypic estimates of natural selection: theory and practice.

Measuring natural selection has been a fundamental goal of evolutionary biology for more than a century, and techniques developed in the last 20 yr have provided relatively simple means for biologists to do so. Many of these techniques, however, share a common limitation: when applied to phenotypic data, environmentally induced covariances between traits and fitness can lead to biased estimates of selection and misleading predictions about evolutionary change. Utilizing estimates of breeding values instead of phenotypic data with these methods can eliminate environmentally induced bias, although this approach is more difficult to implement.

How accurate are lexile text measures?

The Lexile Framework for Reading models comprehension as the difference between a reader measure and a text measure. Uncertainty in comprehension rates results from unreliability in reader measures and inaccuracy in text readability measures. Whole-text processing eliminates sampling error in text measures.

Minimum energy single-shock internal atrial defibrillation in sheep.

Well-tolerated internal atrial defibrillation shocks must be below the pain threshold, which has been estimated to be less than 1 Joule. Defibrillation of the atria with low energy is made possible by delivering shocks at the low end of the defibrillation dose-response curve. We studied low-energy defibrillation in sheep to test the hypothesis that the energy that defibrillates the atria 10% of the time (ED10) is less than 1 Joule.