Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognate frequency and assessment of second language lexical knowledge

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: Few studies have investigated different-script cognate effects in language assessment contexts. This paper examines the impact of Japanese cognates in a test of English receptive lexical knowledge that is widely used for placement purposes in second language learning contexts. Specifically, the present paper utilizes Japanese cognate frequency to predict test accuracy. 1. Does Japanese cognate frequency influence response accuracy? 2. Does the effect vary by English word frequency and/or lexical proficiency? Design/methodology/approach: Seventy Japanese-English bilinguals completed the multiple-choice English VLT. Data and analysis: Accuracy data for 150 target items and 150 distractor items were analysed separately (10,500 data points in each analysis). Generalized linear mixed-effects models were used with Japanese cognate frequency as the primary predictor and English word frequency and lexical proficiency as covariates. Findings/conclusions: A strong facilitatory cognate frequency effect was observed on both the selection of targets and the rejection of distractor items. This effect was marginally greater for lower proficiency learners. The English word frequency effect was also greater for lower proficiency test takers in the distractor analysis. Originality: The paper is the first to utilize cognate frequency to estimate the cognate effect in different-script languages in language testing. Significance/implications: The study provides robust evidence for the Japanese-English cognate effect in a test of lexical knowledge. This finding is broadly in line with the predictions of the bilingual interactive activation plus model of bilingual lexical processing. In addition, the paper demonstrates that the proportion of Japanese cognates in the test is significantly greater than the proportion of cognates in the language in general, indicating that it may over-estimate Japanese learners’ knowledge of English lexis. Test designers and users are thus recommended to be aware of the impact of cognates when making inferences about language ability based on such tests of lexical knowledge.
Competency nomads, resilience and agency: music education (activism) in a time of neoliberalism

ABSTRACT The article seeks to find ways to re-imagine music-educator professional self-understanding beyond tendencies and constraints created and imposed by neoliberal politics. This involves exploring the conditions for music-teacher professionalism in the Nordic countries today through the position of competency nomads, as well as searching for theoretical frameworks through which the current circumstances can be understood and unpacked, by looking into the relationships between resilience, subjectivity, agency and neoliberalism. Given that the current professional situation for music teachers might potentially be understood as characterised by instability and uprootedness, the article proposes an activist approach as one possible way of keeping professional agency and imagination intact and alive. Such an approach requires both the embracement of individual and collective vulnerability and an acknowledgment of our fundamental and mutual interdependency, locally and globally. Towards the end of the article, examples of what this might mean in music-education practice and research are discussed.
Measuring Wealth Effects Using U.S. State Data

This paper describes a new panel dataset of financial wealth for U.S. states constructed from anonymous proprietary account-level records on geographic wealth holdings. The new data set is more comprehensive and representative than existing alternative measures. The paper also constructs significantly improved state-level consumption data, then combines these datasets to provide new estimates of effects on consumption from changes in stock and housing wealth. I find large but sluggish housing wealth effects. The estimated response of consumption to a one dollar change in housing wealth that happened two years ago is above 6 cents. Surprisingly, the data show no evidence for significant stock wealth effects, although large standard errors mean that the differences from housing wealth effects are statistically insignificant.
Hill estimator of projections of functional data on principal components

ABSTRACT Functional principal component scores are commonly used to reduce mathematically infinitely dimensional functional data to finite dimensional vectors. In certain applications, most notably in finance, these scores exhibit tail behaviour consistent with the assumption of regular variation. Knowledge of the index of the regular variation, α, is needed to apply methods of extreme value theory. The most commonly used method of the estimation of α is the Hill estimator. We derive conditions under which the Hill estimator computed from the sample scores is consistent for the tail index of the unobservable population scores.
3-D Morphology Prediction of Progressive Spinal Deformities From Probabilistic Modeling of Discriminant Manifolds

We introduce a novel approach for predicting the progression of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis from 3-D spine models reconstructed from biplanar X-ray images. Recent progress in machine learning has allowed to improve classification and prognosis rates, but lack a probabilistic framework to measure uncertainty in the data. We propose a discriminative probabilistic manifold embedding where locally linear mappings transform data points from high-dimensional space to corresponding low-dimensional coordinates. A discriminant adjacency matrix is constructed to maximize the separation between progressive (P) and nonprogressive (NP) groups of patients diagnosed with scoliosis, while minimizing the distance in latent variables belonging to the same class. To predict the evolution of deformation, a baseline reconstruction is projected onto the manifold, from which a spatiotemporal regression model is built from parallel transport curves inferred from neighboring exemplars. Rate of progression is modulated from the spine flexibility and curve magnitude of the 3-D spine deformation. The method was tested on 745 reconstructions from 133 subjects using longitudinal 3-D reconstructions of the spine, with results demonstrating the discriminatory framework can identify between P and NP of scoliotic patients with a classification rate of 81% and the prediction differences of 2.1° in main curve angulation, outperforming other manifold learning methods. Our method achieved a higher prediction accuracy and improved the modeling of spatiotemporal morphological changes in highly deformed spines compared with other learning methods.
Development and Validation of an Enlarged Version of the Student Agentic Engagement Scale

The elusive character of student agency makes it a relevant construct to be investigated and measured. An initial effort in this direction was represented by the Agentic Engagement Scale, a five-item instrument designed to assess the degree to which students constructively contribute to the flow of the instructions they receive from the teacher. Despite its merits, in its current form this scale takes into account only a part of the wide range of student agentic expressions. In the present work, we propose an extension of the Agentic Engagement Scale from five to 10 items. Compared to the original scale, the new version covers a larger variety of proactive student contributions, such as those concerning peer interactions and those communications in which learners question or challenge the teacher’s instructions. The study was conducted on 1,064 Italian high school students equally distributed between males and females. Confirmative factor analysis endorsed the adequacy of a one-factor structure of the enlarged Agentic Engagement Scale, which showed good psychometric properties as well as positive associations with student motivation to learn and the other three aspects of engagement (i.e., affective, behavioral, and cognitive). The theoretical and practical implications of a more comprehensive scale of student agentic engagement are discussed.
Active Microgripper Interface Used in Microassembly of MEMS

This paper describes the design of an active microgripper interface used in the assembly of three-dimensional MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) microstructures. The interface connects a robotic manipulator to a 3-pad active microgripper. Electric current is transmitted to the interface by bonding its pads to the robotic manipulator using standard tungsten probes. The interface is integrated with a hinged microstructure that is rotated by a 170deg angle causing the hinge plane to get in contact with the interface small pads. The interface, bonded to the robotic manipulator, is used to grasp the smaller active microgrippers. An interlocking mechanism is introduced to the interface to lock the microgripper and prevent it from sliding. The inverted hinged structure operates as a bridge that connects the microgripper pads to the robotic manipulator probes enabling the transmission of current. This allows the active microgripper to act as both an actuator and as a feedback sensor. The interface highly improves the interchangeability properties of the microgrippers, where replacing damaged microgrippers is easily performed and the setup time and effort would be significantly reduced. This paper is a part of an ongoing work which involves the automation of the assembly of MEMS, used to construct out-of-plane 3D microstructures
Is remote host availability governed by a universal law?

The availability of peer-to-peer and other distributed systems depends not only on the system architecture but also on the availability characteristics of the hosts participating in the system. This paper constructs a model of remote host availability, derived from measurement studies of four host populations. It argues that hosts are incompletely partitioned into two behavioral classes, one in which they are cycled on/off periodically and one in which they are nominally kept on constantly. Within a class, logarithmic availability generally follows a uniform distribution; however, the underlying reason for this is not readily apparent.
Two-stage examinations: Can examinations be more formative experiences?

Two-stage examinations consist of a first stage in which students work individually as they typically do in examinations (stage 1), followed by a second stage in which they work in groups to complete another examination (stage 2), which typically consists of a subset of the questions from the first examination. Data from two-stage midterm and final examinations are used to assess the extent to which individuals improve their performance when collaborating with other students. On average, the group (stage 2) score was about one standard deviation above the individual (stage 1) score. While this difference cannot be interpreted as the causal effect of two-stage examinations on learning, it suggests that individuals experienced substantial performance gains when working in groups in an examination. This average performance gain was comparable with the average difference between the top performer of the group in stage 1 and the group’s stage 1 average, and was equivalent to about two-thirds of the difference between the “super student” score (i.e. the sum of the maximum score for each question in stage 1) and the group’s stage 1 average. This last result suggests that group collaboration takes substantial (albeit partial) advantage of the aggregate knowledge and skills of the group’s individual members. Student feedback about their experience with two-stage examinations reveal that that these types of examinations are generally perceived to be more helpful for learning and are less stressful than traditional examinations. Finally, using data on group gender compositions, we investigate the potential role of gender dynamics on group efficiency.
Macrophages in streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy: potential role in renal fibrosis.

BACKGROUND Renal fibrosis is central to the progression of diabetic nephropathy; however, the mechanisms responsible for fibroblast and matrix accumulation in this disease are only partially understood. Macrophages accumulate in diabetic kidneys, but it is unknown whether macrophages contribute to renal fibrosis. Therefore, we examined whether macrophage accumulation is associated with the progression of renal injury and fibrosis in type 1 diabetic nephropathy and whether macrophages exposed to the diabetic milieu could promote fibroblast proliferation. METHODS Kidney macrophages, renal injury and fibrosis were analysed in diabetic C57BL/6J mice at 2, 8, 12 and 18 weeks after streptozotocin injection. Isolated rat bone marrow macrophages were stimulated with diabetic rat serum or carboxymethyllysine (CML)-bovine serum albumin (BSA) to determine whether macrophage-conditioned medium could promote the proliferation of rat renal (NRK-49F) fibroblasts. RESULTS Progressive injury and fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy was associated with increased numbers of kidney macrophages. Macrophage accumulation in diabetic mice correlated with hyperglycaemia (blood glucose, HbA1c levels), renal injury (albuminuria, plasma creatinine), histological damage and renal fibrosis (myofibroblasts, collagen IV). Culture supernatant derived from bone marrow macrophages incubated with diabetic rat serum or CML-BSA induced proliferation of fibroblasts, which was inhibited by pre-treating fibroblasts with interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist or the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor kinase inhibitor, STI-571. CONCLUSION Kidney macrophage accumulation is associated with the progression of renal injury and fibrosis in streptozotocin-induced mouse diabetic nephropathy. Elements of the diabetic milieu can stimulate macrophages to promote fibroblast proliferation via IL-1- and PDGF-dependent pathways which may enhance renal fibrosis.
Does Perceived Physical Attractiveness in Adolescence Predict Better Socioeconomic Position in Adulthood? Evidence from 20 Years of Follow Up in a Population Cohort Study

There is believed to be a ‘beauty premium’ in key life outcomes: it is thought that people perceived to be more physically attractive have better educational outcomes, higher-status jobs, higher wages, and are more likely to marry. Evidence for these beliefs, however, is generally based on photographs in hypothetical experiments or studies of very specific population subgroups (such as college students). The extent to which physical attractiveness might have a lasting effect on such outcomes in ‘real life’ situations across the whole population is less well known. Using longitudinal data from a general population cohort of people in the West of Scotland, this paper investigated the association between physical attractiveness at age 15 and key socioeconomic outcomes approximately 20 years later. People assessed as more physically attractive at age 15 had higher socioeconomic positions at age 36– in terms of their employment status, housing tenure and income - and they were more likely to be married; even after adjusting for parental socioeconomic background, their own intelligence, health and self esteem, education and other adult socioeconomic outcomes. For education the association was significant for women but not for men. Understanding why attractiveness is strongly associated with long-term socioeconomic outcomes, after such extensive confounders have been considered, is important.
Empirical comparisons in short-term interest rate models using nonparametric methods

This study applies the nonparametric estimation procedure to the diffusion process modeling the dynamics of short-term interest rates. This approach allows us to operate in continuous time, estimating the continuous-time model, despite the use of discrete data. Three methods are proposed. We apply these methods to two important financial data. After selecting an appropriate bandwidth for each dataset, empirical comparisons indicate that the specification of the drift has a considerable impact on the pricing of derivatives through its effect on the diffusion function. In addition, a novel nonparametric test has been proposed for specification of linearity in the drift. Our simulation directs us to reject the null hypothesis of linearity at the 5% significance level for the two financial datasets.
Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common heart valve disorder. CAVD is a chronic process characterized by a pathologic mineralization of valve leaflets. Ectopic mineralization of the aortic valve involves complex relationships with immunity. Studies have highlighted that both innate and adaptive immunity play a role in the development of CAVD. In this regard, accumulating evidence indicates that fibrocalcific remodelling of the aortic valve is associated with activation of the NF-κB pathway. The expression of TNF-α and IL-6 is increased in human mineralized aortic valves and promotes an osteogenic program as well as the mineralization of valve interstitial cells (VICs), the main cellular component of the aortic valve. Different factors, including oxidized lipid species, activate the innate immune response through the Toll-like receptors. Moreover, VICs express 5-lipoxygenase and therefore produce leukotrienes, which may amplify the inflammatory response in the aortic valve. More recently, studies have emphasized that an adaptive immune response is triggered during CAVD. Herein, we are reviewing the link between the immune response and the development of CAVD and we have tried, whenever possible, to keep a translational approach.
Different patterns of duplicate publication: an analysis of articles used in systematic reviews.

CONTEXT Duplicate publication is publication of an article that overlaps substantially with an article published elsewhere. Patterns of duplication are not well understood. OBJECTIVE To investigate duplication patterns and propose a decision tree for classification. DATA SOURCES We searched a comprehensive list of systematic reviews (1989 through August 15, 2002) in anesthesia and analgesia that is accessible on the Internet. We selected published full articles of duplicates that had been identified in these systematic reviews. Abstracts, letters, or book chapters were excluded. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION Authors of 56 (40%) of 141 systematic reviews acknowledged identification of duplicates. Duplication patterns were identified independently by all investigators comparing samples and outcomes of pairs of duplicates and main articles. Information on cross-reference, sponsorship, authorship, and publication characteristics was extracted from the articles. DATA SYNTHESIS The 56 systematic reviews included 1131 main articles (129 337 subjects) and excluded 103 duplicates (12 589 subjects) that originated from 78 main articles. Sixty articles were published twice, 13 three times, 3 four times, and 2 five times. We identified 6 duplication patterns: (1A) identical samples and identical outcomes (21 pairs); (1B) same as 1A but several duplicates assembled (n = 16); (2) identical samples and different outcomes (n = 24); (3A) increasing sample and identical outcomes (n = 11); (3B) decreasing sample and identical outcomes (n = 11); (4) different samples and different outcomes (n = 20). The prevalence of covert duplicate articles (without a cross-reference to the main article) was 5.3% (65/1234). Of the duplicates, 34 (33%) were sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry, and 66 (64%) had authorship that differed partly or completely from the main article. The median journal impact factor was 1.8 (range, 0.1-29.5) for duplicates and 2.0 (range, 0.4-29.5) for main articles (P =.13). The median annual citation rate was 1.7 (range, 0-27) for duplicates and 2.1 (range, 0-31) for main articles (P =.45). The median number of authors was 4 (range, 1-14) for duplicates and 4 (range, 1-15) for corresponding main articles (P =.02). The median delay in publication between main articles and duplicates was 1 year (range, 0-7 years). CONCLUSIONS Duplication goes beyond simple copying. Six distinct duplication patterns were identified after comparing study samples and outcomes of duplicates and corresponding main articles. Authorship was an unreliable criterion. Duplicates were published in journals with similar impact factors and were cited as frequently as main articles.
The Role of Racial Identity, Parental Socialization, and School Connectedness on the Academic Experiences of Gifted Black Female Adolescents Attending Predominantly White Schools.

JOHNSON, ORIANA TINIQUE. The Role of Racial Identity, Parental Socialization, and School Connectedness on the Academic Experiences of Gifted Black Female Adolescents Attending Predominantly White Schools (Under the direction of Dr. Jessica T. DeCuir-Gunby). This narrative inquiry study was designed to explore the academic experiences of gifted Black female adolescents attending predominantly White schools. In addition to considering the role that racial identity, parental socialization (i.e., racial/cultural, academic, and gender socialization), and school connectedness play in these academic experiences, using a Critical Race Theory lens, this study investigated the ways in which gifted Black female adolescents’ academic experiences at predominantly White schools are impacted by: (a) the relationships they share with their teachers, peers, and other school personnel; (b) the curriculum, and (c) their involvement in school activities. Findings indicate the gifted Black girls’ internalization of their parents’ racial, academic, and gender socialization messages enhanced their racial, gendered, and academic identities, influenced their motivation to achieve, and led them to resist pejorative stereotypes about Black females by adopting a resilient “prove them wrong” mentality. Further, the gifted Black girls’ levels of connectedness to their predominantly White school environments was increased when they became involved in school activities, developed positive adult and peer relationships in school, and engaged in culturally relevant curriculum. © Copyright 2018 by Oriana Tinique Johnson All Rights Reserved The Role of Racial Identity, Parental Socialization, and School Connectedness on the Academic Experiences of Gifted Black Female Adolescents Attending Predominantly White Schools by Oriana Tinique Johnson A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Curriculum and Instruction Raleigh, North Carolina 2018