Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Hypothesis of Measurement Invariance in the Context of Large-Scale International Surveys

In the field of international educational surveys, equivalence of achievement scale scores across countries has received substantial attention in the academic literature; however, only a relatively recent emphasis on scale score equivalence in nonachievement education surveys has emerged. Given the current state of research in multiple-group models, findings regarding these recent measurement invariance investigations were supported with research that was limited in scope to few groups and relatively small sample sizes. To that end, this study uses data from one large-scale survey as a basis for examining the extent to which typical fit measures used in multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis are suitable for detecting measurement invariance in a large-scale survey context. Using measures validated in a smaller scale context and an empirically grounded simulation study, our findings indicate that many typical measures and associated criteria are either unsuitable in a large group and varied sample-size context or should be adjusted, particularly when the number of groups is large. We provide specific recommendations and discuss further areas for research.
Nuclear signaling by the APP intracellular domain occurs predominantly through the amyloidogenic processing pathway

Proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) occurs via two alternative pathways, localized to different subcellular compartments, which result in functionally distinct outcomes. Cleavage by a β-γ sequence generates the Aβ peptide that plays a central role in Alzheimer's disease. In the case of α-γ cleavage, a secreted neurotrophic molecule is generated and the Aβ peptide cleaved and destroyed. In both cases, a cytosolic APP intracellular domain (AICD) is generated. We have previously shown that coexpression of APP with the APP-binding protein Fe65 and the histone acetyltransferase Tip60 results in the formation of nuclear complexes (termed AFT complexes), which localize to transcription sites. We now show that blocking endocytosis or the pharmacological or genetic inhibition of the endosomal β-cleavage pathway reduces translocation of AICD to these nuclear AFT complexes. AICD signaling further depends on active transport along microtubules and can be modulated by interference with both anterograde and retrograde transport systems. Nuclear signaling by endogenous AICD in primary neurons could similarly be blocked by inhibiting β-cleavage but not by α-cleavage inhibition. This suggests that amyloidogenic cleavage, despite representing the minor cleavage pathway of APP, is predominantly responsible for AICD-mediated nuclear signaling.
Comparison of ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter Interactions with the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Imatinib, Nilotinib, and Dasatinib

Although the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to control the unregulated activity of BCR-ABL revolutionized the therapy of chronic myeloid leukemia, resistance to TKIs is a clinical reality. Among the postulated mechanisms of resistance is the overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, such as P-glycoprotein (ABCB1) and breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2), which mediate reduced intracellular drug accumulation. We compared the interactions of the TKIs imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib with ABCB1 and ABCG2 in ex vivo and in vitro systems. The TKIs inhibited rhodamine 123 and Hoechst 33342 efflux mediated by endogenous expression of the transporters in murine and human hematopoietic stem cells with potency order nilotinib ≫ imatinib ≫ dasatinib. Studies with ABCB1-, ABCG2-, and ABCC1-transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells verified that nilotinib was the most potent inhibitor of ABCB1 and ABCG2. Cytotoxicity assays in stably transduced K562-ABCG2 and K562-ABCB1 cells confirmed that the TKIs were also substrates for the two transporters. Like imatinib, both nilotinib and dasatinib decreased ABCG2 surface expression in K562-ABCG2 cells. Finally, we found that all TKIs were able to compete labeling of ABCB1 and ABCG2 by the photo-cross-linkable prazosin analog [125I]iodoarylazidoprazosin, suggesting interaction at the prazosin-binding site of both proteins. Our experiments support the hypothesis that all three TKIs are substrates of ABC transporters and that, at higher concentrations, TKIs overcome transporter function. Taken together, the results suggest that therapeutic doses of imatinib and nilotinib may diminish the potential of ABCB1 and ABCG2 to limit oral absorption or confer resistance. Clinical data are required to definitively answer the latter question.
Semi-supervised self-trainingmodel for the segmentationof the left ventricle of the heart from ultrasound data

The design and use of statistical pattern recognition models can be regarded as one of the core research topics in the segmentation of the left ventricle of the heart from ultrasound data. These models trade a strong prior model of the shape and appearance of the left ventricle for a statistical model whose parameters can be learned using a manually segmented data set (this set is commonly known as the training set). The trouble is that such statistical model is usually quite complex, requiring a large number of parameters that can be robustly learned only if the training set is sufficiently large. The difficulty in obtaining large training sets is currently a major roadblock for the further exploration of statistical models in medical image analysis problems, such as the automatic left ventricle segmentation. In this paper, we present a novel semi-supervised self-training model that reduces the need of large training sets for estimating the parameters of statistical models. This model is initially trained with a small set of manually segmented images, and for each new test sequence, the system reestimates the model parameters incrementally without any further manual intervention. We show that state-of-the-art segmentation results can be achieved with training sets containing 50 annotated examples for the problemof left ventricle segmentation from ultrasound data.
Load sharing in the growth of bundled biopolymers

To elucidate the nature of load sharing in the growth of multiple biopolymers, we perform stochastic simulations of the growth of biopolymer bundles against obstacles under a broad range of conditions and varying assumptions. The obstacle motion due to thermal fluctuations is treated explicitly. We assume the ‘perfect Brownian ratchet’ model, in which the polymerization rate equals the free-filament rate as soon as the filament-obstacle distance exceeds the monomer size. Accurate closed-form formulas are obtained for the case of a rapidly moving obstacle. We find the following: (1) load sharing is usually sub-perfect in the sense that polymerization is slower than for a single filament carrying the same average force; (2) the sub-perfect behavior becomes significant at a total force proportional to the logarithm or the square root of the number of filaments, depending on the alignment of the filaments; (3) for the special case of slow barrier diffusion and low opposing force, an enhanced obstacle velocity for an increasing number of filaments is possible; (4) the obstacle velocity is very sensitive to the alignment of the filaments in the bundle, with a staggered alignment being an order of magnitude faster than an unstaggered one at forces of only 0.5 pN per filament for 20 filaments; (5) for large numbers of filaments, the power is maximized at a force well below 1 pN per filament; (6) for intermediate values of the obstacle diffusion coefficient, the shape of the force velocity relation is very similar to that for rapid obstacle diffusion.
The Effect of Modulation and Formal Manipulation on Perception of Tonic Closure by Expert Listeners

This study arises in response to previous research that calls into question the ability of musically trained listeners to perceive tonal closure in the original tonic key. In our Experiment 1, 36 experienced musicians heard 12 randomly ordered excerpts from piano and orchestral works in three categories: nonmodulating, modulating to the dominant, modulating to a key other than the dominant. After hearing each excerpt, participants answered six questions, one of which asked whether the concluding key was the same as the initial one. Participants correctly answered this question at above-chance levels, with music academics (theorists and musicologists) more accurate than other musicians. In Experiment 2, 33 experienced musicians heard MIDI performances of six Handel keyboard compositions. On each trial, participants heard either the original composition or one of two variants with phrase units rearranged. Trials were quasi-randomly ordered so that an original and variant were not heard in succession. Three types of tonal motion resulted from our formal manipulation: the stimulus began and ended in the tonic key, began and ended in the dominant key, or began and ended in different keys. After hearing each work, participants answered seven questions, of which data were analyzed for three: whether the beginning and ending key were the same, whether the harmonic structure conformed to stylistic expectations, and whether the final key was the tonic. Participants9 accuracy on the beginning/ending key question was no better than chance would predict; however, listeners were able to discriminate between works that ended in the tonic key and those that did not. Unlike Experiment 1, we found no significant differences in accuracy between music academics and other musicians. Listeners generally found both the original and the manipulated compositions to conform to stylistic expectations, possibly because they attended to local harmonic relationships rather than global ones.
Automatic registration of range images based on correspondence of complete plane patches

One of the difficulties in registering two range images scanned by 3D laser scanners is how to get a correct correspondence over the two images automatically. In this paper, we propose an automatic registration method based on matching of extracted planes. First, we introduce a new class of features: complete plane patches (CPP) on the basis of analysis of properties of real scenes. Then we generate a compact interpretation tree for these features. Finally, the image registration is accomplished automatically by searching the interpretation tree.
External Mentoring Support for Early Career Special Education Teachers

The special education teaching profession has experienced longstanding problems with shortages of qualified teaching staff and with high turnover rates of these staff. A variety of issues are related to these problems, including the nature of the support that early career special education teachers receive. In this case study research, the use of external mentoring support to two early career special education teachers in their first year of teaching was examined. This mentoring support was provided by an experienced special educator who did not work at the teachers' schools. The results suggest that external forms of mentoring support may offer important advantages over traditional, site-based forms of support.
Analysis of Step Discontinuity in a Single Mode Planar Slab Taper Optical Waveguide

In this paper we study the thin taper optical wave guide structure by using the step discontinuity model. The technique presented is unique and not being discussed elsewhere. We study the power loss and effect on mode field pattern due to step discontinuity for the case of symmetric single mode planar taper wave guide structure. The only assumption, we consider is that there are no reflection of fields at the step discontinuity point. In this paper we also assume that there are no mode conversions due to discontinuity effect and the structure maintain the single mode operation even at the step discontinuity point. We deliberately considered the thin taper structure to be valid on single mode operation. The technique presented can be easily extended to more complicated wave guide structure like asymmetric wave guide structure, ridge wave guide structure etc.
Redox proteomics: Methods for the identification and enrichment of redox‐modified proteins and their applications

PTMs are defined as covalent additions to functional groups of amino acid residues in proteins like phosphorylation, glycosylation, S‐nitrosylation, acetylation, methylation, lipidation, SUMOylation as well as oxidation. Oxidation of proteins has been characterized as a double‐edged sword. While oxidative modifications, in particular of cysteine residues, are widely involved in the regulation of cellular homeostasis, oxidative stress resulting in the oxidation of biomolecules along with the disruption of their biological functions can be associated with the development of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases, respectively. This is also the case for advanced glycation end products, which result from chemical reactions of keto compounds such as oxidized sugars with proteins. The role of oxidative modifications under physiological and pathophysiological conditions remains largely unknown. Recently, novel technologies have been established that allow the enrichment, identification, and characterization of specific oxidative PTMs (oxPTMs). This is essential to develop strategies to prevent and treat diseases that are associated with oxidative stress. Therefore this review will focus on (i) the methods and technologies, which are currently applied for the detection, identification, and quantification of oxPTMs including the design of high throughput approaches and (ii) the analyses of oxPTMs related to physiological and pathological conditions.
Concatenated Low-Density Parity-Check and BCH Coding System for Magnetic Recording Read Channel With 4 kB Sector Format

In this paper, we examine the potential of applying concatenated low-density parity-check (LDPC) and Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) coding for magnetic recording read channel with a 4 kB sector format. One key observation for such concatenated coding systems is that the overall error correction capability can be improved by exploiting the iteration-by-iteration bit error number oscillation behavior in case of inner LDPC code decoding failures. Moreover, assisted by field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based simulation platforms, empirical error-correcting performance analysis can reach a very low sector error rate (e.g., 10-10 and below), which is almost infeasible for LDPC-only coding systems. Finally, concatenated coding can further reduce the silicon cost. By implementing a high-speed FPGA-based perpendicular recording read channel simulator, we investigate a 4 kB rate-15/16 concatenated coding system with a 512-byte rate-19/20 inner LDPC code and an outer 4 kB BCH code. We apply a decoding strategy that can fully utilize the bit error number oscillation behavior of inner LDPC code decoding, and show that its sector error rate drops down to 10-11. For the purpose of comparison, we use the FPGA-based simulator to empirically observe the performance of 4 kB rate-15/16 LDPC and Reed-Solomon (RS) codes down to 10-7-10-8. Finally, we estimate the silicon cost of this concatenated coding system at 65 nm node, and compare it with that of the RS-only and LDPC-only coding systems.
On-line dead time compensation technique for open-loop PWM-VSI drives

A new online dead-time compensation technique for low cost open-loop PWM VSI-fed drives is presented. Because of the growing numbers of open-loop drives operating in the low speed region, the synthesis of accurate output voltages has become an important issue where low cost implementation plays an important role. The so-called average dead time compensation techniques rely on two basic parameters to compensate for this effect: the magnitude of the volt-seconds lost each PWM cycle; and the direction of the current. In a low cost implementation, it is impractical to attempt an online measurement of the volt-seconds error introduced each cycle; instead an offline measurement is favored. On the other hand, the current-direction detection must be done online. This becomes increasingly difficult at lower frequencies and around the zero crossings leading to erroneous compensation and voltage distortion. This paper presents a simple and cost effective solution to this problem by using an instantaneous back calculation of the phase angle of the current. Given the closed loop characteristic of the back calculation, the zero crossing of the current is accurately obtained, thus allowing for a better dead time compensation. Experimental results validating the proposed method are presented.
A Type-2 Fuzzy Controller for Tracking Mobile Objects in the Context of Robotic Soccer Games

This paper presents a type-2 fuzzy logic controller for a robotic agent intended to track a mobile object in the context of robot soccer games. The controller has two inputs and two outputs that are logically connected by four rules. Image processing is used to estimate the angle between the agent and the target, which introduces uncertainty in the control loop. Other sources of uncertainty related to defects in the control loop have been identified. In this sense, the paper explores how the type-2 controller overcomes those sources without incrementing the computational cost of the application
Interactive Effects of Multicultural Experiences and Openness to Experience on Creative Potential

Extensiveness of multicultural experiences and Openness to Experience were used to predict European American undergraduates' performance on two measures of creative potential: (a) generation of unusual uses of garbage bags and (b) retrieval of nonprototypical or normatively inaccessible exemplars in the conceptual domain of occupation. The results showed that having extensive multicultural experiences predicted better performance on both measures of creative potential only among participants who were open to experience. Among those who were not open, having more extensive multicultural experiences was associated with a lower level of creative potential. Implications of these findings for promoting creativity in schools are discussed.
Cumulating Conditions. An Empirical Analysis of the EIS Adoption by European Firms

In this paper we aim to empirically test the relative influence of internal and external conditions for the adoption of Enterprise Information Systems (EIS). For this goal data are used from the EU-initiated E-Business W@tch survey 2002/2003 among more than 10,000 organizations from seven different European countries. It appears that organizational size, sector and country all have significant and cumulative effects on the EIS adoption by organizations. More specifically, national culture matters if we control for size and sector.
Does the Evidence Favor State Competition in Corporate Law?

In the ongoing debate on state competition over corporate charters, supporters of state competition have long claimed that the empirical evidence clearly supports their view. This paper suggests that the body of empirical evidence on which supporters of state competition have relied does not warrant this claim. The paper first demonstrates that reported findings of a positive correlation between incorporation in Delaware and increased shareholder wealth are not robust and, furthermore, do not establish causation. The paper then shows that, even if Delaware incorporation were found to cause an increase in shareholder value, this finding would not imply that state competition is working well; benefits to incorporating in the dominant state would likely exist in a race-toward-the bottom' equilibrium in which state competition provided undesirable incentives. Third, the analysis shows that empirical claims that state competition rewards moderation in the provision of antitakeover protections are not well grounded. Finally, we endorse a new approach to the empirical study of the subject that is based on analyzing the determinants of companies' choices of state of incorporation. Recent work based on this approach indicates that, contrary to the beliefs of state competition supporters, states that amass antitakeover statutes are more successful in the incorporation market.
DEEP MMT TRANSIT SURVEY OF THE OPEN CLUSTER M37. III. STELLAR ROTATION AT 550 Myr

In the course of conducting a deep (14.5 ≲ r ≲ 23), 20 night survey for transiting planets in the rich ∼550 Myr old open cluster M37, we have measured the rotation periods of 575 stars, which lie near the cluster main sequence, with masses 0.2 M☉ ≲ M ≲ 1.3 M☉. This is the largest sample of rotation periods for a cluster older than 500 Myr. Using this rich sample we investigate a number of relations between rotation period, color, and the amplitude of photometric variability. Stars with M ≳ 0.8 M☉ show a tight correlation between period and mass with heavier stars rotating more rapidly. There is a group of four stars with P > 15 days that fall well above this relation, which, if real, would present a significant challenge to theories of stellar angular momentum evolution. Below 0.8 M☉, the stars continue to follow the period–mass correlation but with a broad tail of rapid rotators that expands to shorter periods with decreasing mass. We combine these results with observations of other open clusters to test the standard theory of lower main-sequence stellar angular momentum evolution. We find that the model reproduces the observations for solar-mass stars, but discrepancies are apparent for stars with 0.6 ≲ M ≲ 1.0 M☉. We also find that for late K through early M dwarf stars in this cluster, rapid rotators tend to be bluer than slow rotators in B − V but redder than slow rotators in V − IC. This result supports the hypothesis that the significant discrepancy between the observed and predicted temperatures and radii of low-mass main-sequence stars is due to stellar activity.
Development of a LTCC Micro Spray Dryer

Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) Microsystem technology have a relevant role in the miniaturization of Chemical Processes area. Microfluidic devices have been applied to carry out several chemical processes operations, including mixing, separation, chemical reactions, heterogeneous catalysis, heat exchange and so on. More recently, LTCC microfluidic systems are employed to produce micro and nanoparticles with excellent control of size distribution, morphology and constitution. The present work reports the development of a LTCC Micro Spray Dryer for Micro and Nanoparticle fabrication showing simulation results and experimental work.