Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acculturation and assimilation among Mexican Americans: scales and population-based data.

A set of scales is described which consistent with theoretical perspectives operationalizes acculturation and structural assimilation among Mexican Americans as multidimensional processes. Data from a large population-based study in San Antonio Texas are presented to establish the psychometric properties of the scales and examine their interrelationships. Several hypotheses derived from Gordons 7-stage model of the assimilation process are tested. The results of these analyses not only provide evidence of the scales construct validity but provide rich information about the acculturation and assimilation experience of an important segment of the Mexican American population. Sex differences are also examined. (authors)
Emergent behavior in multiplicative critical processes and applications to economy

The main objective of this thesis is to develop a theoretical foundation for the study of economic phenomena based on methods of statistical physics applied to a system composed by set of multiplicative processes. An equivalent of equilibrium is established for such system and proved to behave statistically as in thermal equilibrium. An equivalent to canonical and microcanonical ensembles is realized and the relation with the theory of scale-free complex networks is made. The statistics of more than one century of US economy is studied in the light of these findings and an explanation for inflation and the resilience of wealth inequalities is found. The equivalent of Markov stochastic process on the set of multiplicative processes is established and the corresponding Fokker-Plank equation is derived. Moreover, a relation with self-organized criticality (SOC) is made. The study of market fluctuations is done using SOC models and yielding the same result as the Fokker-Planck approach. Based on these findings, we will argue that the distribution on the fluctuations of prices in organized market cannot follow Levy-stable distributions as stated by Mandelbrot.89 Finally, some applications to market and credit risk are made.
An Heterogeneous wireless networks testbed for Smart Environment scenarios

Smart Environments are environments where heterogeneous wireless networks are implemented and connected together both in terms of networking and in terms of functionalities, thus providing an abstraction layer to higher level applications that can exploit the interplay of such technologies to obtain killer features. In order to obtain real advantages from the integration of heterogeneous components the scenarios shall be clearly understood and analysed;therefore this paper classifies the different scenarios and network architectures that can be employed in creating a Smart Environment. Moreover, real life experimenting is needed, through testbeds and trial installations; our testbed is therefore described, as well as some results on the effects achieved by interconnecting different technologies.
MHC gene configuration variation in geographically disparate populations of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus)

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II DRB genotypes were examined in two geographically isolated populations of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) (Gulf of California and California coastal Pacific Ocean). Genomic DNA from 227 California sea lions was examined using eight sequence‐specific primer (SSP) pairs flanking the putative peptide‐binding site. A total of 40 different Zaca‐DRB genotype configurations were identified among the 227 individuals. Using SSP‐PCR, significant differences were found between coastal California and Gulf of California Zalophus populations in numbers of DRB sequences per individual and configuration of sequences within individuals. Additionally, unique local patterns of MHC diversity were identified among the Midriff Island animals. These population differences are consistent with either ecologically distinct patterns of selection pressures and/or geographical isolation. The consequences of these partitioned MHC configurations at the population level are as yet unknown; however, the worldwide increase in emerging marine diseases lends urgency to their examination.
Many-beam dynamical scattering simulations for scanning and transmission electron microscopy modalities for 2D and 3D quasicrystals

ABSTRACT We present a general theory of electron scattering from both 2D and 3D quasicrystals, applicable to both transmission (forescatter) and scanning (backscatter) geometries. Specifically, simulations of conventional zone axis diffraction patterns, convergent beam diffraction patterns and electron backscatter diffraction for decagonal AlNiCo are presented. As expected, the geometry of the diffraction pattern is similar to kinematical patterns, but the intensity distributions show strong dynamical effects in all the modalities. Experimental electron backscatter diffraction patterns for AlNiCo are compared to simulated patterns for this 2D quasicrystalline structure as well as one of its crystalline monoclinic approximant phases, CoAl. While the simulated patterns from the quasicrystalline and approximant phases are very similar to the experimental patterns, direct comparison shows a better agreement with the decagonal phase.
Generalizing Boolean Satisfiability I: Background and Survey of Existing Work

This is the first of three planned papers describing ZAP, a satisfiability engine that substantially generalizes existing tools while retaining the performance characteristics of modern high-performance solvers. The fundamental idea underlying ZAP is that many problems passed to such engines contain rich internal structure that is obscured by the Boolean representation used; our goal is to define a representation in which this structure is apparent and can easily be exploited to improve computational performance. This paper is a survey of the work underlying ZAP, and discusses previous attempts to improve the performance of the Davis-Putnam-Logemann-Loveland algorithm by exploiting the structure of the problem being solved. We examine existing ideas including extensions of the Boolean language to allow cardinality constraints, pseudo-Boolean representations, symmetry, and a limited form of quantification. While this paper is intended as a survey, our research results are contained in the two subsequent articles, with the theoretical structure of ZAP described in the second paper in this series, and ZAP's implementation described in the third.
Transformative Learning around Issues of Language and Culture among ESL Teachers.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the significant teaching and learning experiences of ESL teachers around the issues of culture and language. The theoretical framework of the study was informed by transformative learning theory. The study began with semi-structured in-depth interviews with twelve teachers who obtained their ESL certificate from an ESL endorsement program. Sources of data included these transcribed interviews. The findings of the study are organized into two major areas relating to: learning in context and possible dimensions of transformative learning. Findings relating to learning in context highlight two primary areas: negotiating the online learning environment; and the disorienting but beneficial learning experience of the English Language Structure course. The second major set of findings in regard to the possible dimensions of transformative learning include three primary findings relating to: participants’ deeper understanding of language and culture, particularly through relationships with ESL students and families that promoted the greater development of empathy; the communicative dimensions of teaching and learning; and the limited dimensions of artistic ways of knowing that were present in the study. The study ends with a consideration of findings in light of the theory and offers implications for theory, practice and suggestions for further research.
Archival Literacy for History Students: Identifying Faculty Expectations of Archival Research Skills

Although finding, interpreting, and using archives is inherent in the study of history, no standard identifies the archival research competencies college history students should possess. The purpose of this study is to identify history faculty expectations of undergraduates regarding their archival research skills and, based on those expectations, to create a list of archival research competencies that could be incorporated into the history classroom or introduced by the archivist in archival literacy sessions. The study includes viewpoints of different stakeholders, a review of course syllabi, in-depth interviews with history department faculty at a large public research university, and comments from faculty and recent graduates on a draft list of archival competencies for history students. The practical recommendations encourage the implementation of the competencies for both history faculty as well as for archivists involved in teaching archival research skills to students. This article represents a pr.
MEMS Design And Verification

The long term impact of MEMS technology will be in its ability to integrate novel sensing and actuation functionality on traditional computing and communication devices enabling the ubiquitous digital computer to interact with the world around it. The design and verification of such integrated systems will occur at the system level, driven primarily by the application. Application-driven systemlevel design methodologies that ease the integration of the digital domain to the real world using mixed domain technologies are therefore needed. A hierarchical structured approach that is compatible with standard IC design is outlined. It starts with schematic capture of a design topology, followed by behavioral simulation, layout generation, parasitic extraction, and final verification.
BRCA1 and γH2AX as independent prognostic markers in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) are believed to originate from sequential mutations that can develop as a consequence of genetic instability acquired over time. BRCA1 are linked to DNA recombination and repair processes, being of importance for its role in regulation of RAD51 and H2AX (γH2AX). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between BRCA1 expression status and evaluate its prognostic impact. We selected from 150 OSCC patients, and evaluated BRCA1 expression in OSCC by immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR, comparing its expression with homologous recombination markers (RAD51, γH2AX and p53), clinicopathological and survival data. Expression of BRCA1 was observed in 61 cases (43.88%) and was related to tumor size (T stage) (p=0.001), and gender (p=0.017). mRNA from BRCA1 showed a borderline relationship with perineural invasion (p=0.053). BRCA1 [p=0.030; HR: 2.334 (C.I.: 1.087-5.012)], γH2AX [p=0.045; HR: 0.467 (C.I.: 0.222-0.628)] and gender [p=0.001; HR: 10.386 [(C.I.: 2.679-10.623)] were independent prognostic factors for DSS. BRCA1 and γH2AX expression by OSCC cells are associated with reduced overall survival time, independent of other variables in patients, as well as gender, and our findings shed some light about DSB markers in OSCC and its role as prognostic factors.
Focused ranking in a vertical search engine

Since the debut of PageRank and HITS, hyperlink-induced Web document ranking has come a long way. The Web has become increasingly vast and topically diverse. Such vastness has led many into the area of topic-sensitive ranking and its variants. We address the high dimensionality of the Web by providing tools for focused search. A focused search engine is one which seeks coverage over a subset of topics of the Web and presents users with relevant search results in a known domain. This demonstration will introduce readers to the GenieKnows.com Vertical Search Engine.
Listen-Identify-Brainstorm-Reality-Test-Encourage (LIBRE) Problem-Solving Model: Addressing Special Education Teacher Attrition through a Cognitive-Behavioral Approach to Teacher Induction

Special education teacher attrition rates continue to challenge the profession. A cognitive-behavioral problem-solving approach was used to examine three alternative certification program special education teachers’ professional development through a series of 41 interviews conducted over a 2-year period. Beginning when they were novice special educators, we collected information concerning what they identified as problems and whether their demonstrated self-awareness about problem solving might influence their professional persistence. As would be expected, analyses suggest, these teachers demonstrated more deliberate, active, and self-directed problem solving at the end of data collection than at the beginning. This self-awareness may facilitate teacher sense of control and problem-solving efficacy and thus may increase the likelihood that novice special educators will remain in the field.
Color Harmonization for Videos

Color harmonization is an artistic technique to adjust the colors of a given image in order to enhance their visual harmony. In this paper, we present a method to automatically improve the color harmony of images. Harmonization is performed using a carefully designed optimization in the hue space, while keeping the saturation and intensity components unchanged. Finally, for videos, we pose the problem as an efficient joint optimization in space and time, thus minimizing flickering or visual artifacts in the harmonized output video. We report the performance of our algorithm on a variety of test images and video sequences.
Whose Cognitive Style Makes the Difference

Cognitive style can be defined as the way an individual acts, reacts, and adapts to the environ ment. This action/reaction/adaptation can be mapped well enough to provide insight into an individual's behavior (Hill, 1969; Witkin, 1965; Kuchinskas, 1974). We can study and even pre dict how a person will behave in a given situation. This term is often used synonymously with learn ing style, teaching style, administrative style, and so on. Cognitive style is not a new term. Over 40 years ago, Allport (1937) referred to a style of living and adapting influenced by distinctive per sonality types in fact he coined the term "cogni tive style. " This distinctive typical behavior pattern or mode is consistent and comparatively stable over time (Satterly and Brimer, 1971). A variety of approaches has been used to study styles in adults and children (Scott and Annesley, 1976). Several years ago I began observing stu dents, teachers, and reading materials in ele mentary classrooms to determine the effect of cognitive style on the activities in the classroom. To accomplish this, I used a type of cognitive mapping developed by Hill (1969), which is rich in the number and types of elements studied. Hill looks at the ways in which a person handles theoretical symbols (words and numbers); quali tative symbols, which are perceived so individu ally (sensory input, aesthetic input, physical input, and so on); the cultural influences of fam ily, self, and peer; and the ways in which a person reasons and makes inferences. Over the course of a year, I visited 13 thirdand fourth-grade classrooms interviewing teach-
Rapid degradation of FOG discharged from food industry wastewater by lipolytic fungi as a bioaugmentation application

ABSTRACT Fats, oils and grease (FOG) congregate in grease traps and are a slowly biodegradable particulate organic matter, which may require enzymatic or hydrolytic conversion to form readily biodegradable soluble organic matter. The existing treatment methods employ water-based hydrolysis of FOG to form long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs). The LCFAs discharged into wastewater treatment system create functional difficulties, especially the inhibitory effect caused by accumulation of LCFAs. This study aims to find an effective treatment method for this persistent problem encountered in conventional wastewater treatment system. Solid-state degradation by lipolytic fungi was performed in a tray-type reactor as a novel approach of bioaugmentation. Grease trap waste samples were dried to have moisture content of 25–35% and mixed with coir fiber (1% w/v) for proper aeration. Each 10 mg/g dry weight of substrate was inoculated with 1 mL of spore suspension (1 × 10⁷ spores/mL) of lipolytic fungi. Thereafter, moisture content in the reactor was increased to 65%, and incubated at 30°C. Within 72 h of post incubation, degradation efficiency of about 50% was recorded by fungal isolates. The feasibility of using developed protocol for FOG degradation was tested with a laboratory-scale prototype reactor.
Combined nearest mean classifiers for multiple feature classification

Pattern classification is an important stage in many image processing applications. This paper proposes a technique that is based on nearest mean classifier for classification.The proposed technique integrates three classifiers and uses colour and shape features. Experiment on small training samples has been conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed combined nearest mean classiffiers and results obtained showed that the technique was able to provide good accuracy
Impact of Free Universal Medical Coverage on Medical Care and Outcomes in Low-Income Patients Hospitalized for Acute Myocardial Infarction: An Analysis From the French National Health Insurance System

Background—The type of medical coverage in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) may affect their treatment and outcome. Methods and Results—We used the reimbursement database from the French National Health Insurance to determine the impact of full medical coverage (Couverture Médicale Universelle Complémentaire, CMUC), a free supplemental insurance for low-income earners <60 years of age, on treatment and outcomes of patients with AMI. The population comprised consecutive patients <60 years of age hospitalized for AMI from January to June 2006 in France. Of 4939 patients with AMI aged <60 years, 587 (12%) were on the CMUC. CMUC patients were younger, with more prior cardiovascular and comorbid conditions. CMUC and non-CMUC patients were admitted to the same types of institutions, including academic hospitals and private clinics. The use of cardiac catheterization and coronary interventions was similar (adjusted relative risk, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.91–1.05; P=0.45). In-hospital mortality was also comparable (3.1% versus 2.8%, P=0.69). There was no difference in early use of secondary prevention medications after multivariate adjustment. At 30 months, survival and acute coronary syndrome–free survival were lower in CMUC patients (trend, not significant after adjustment). Long-term adherence to statin therapy was lower in CMUC patients (64% versus 77%; adjusted relative risk, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.73–0.92). Conclusions—Free full coverage for socially deprived people levels inequalities in the acute and midterm treatment of AMI patients. However, full reimbursement per se is not sufficient to ensure optimal patient adherence to secondary prevention medications and may not be enough to prevent an excess of long-term events.
The major tyrosine-sulfated protein of the bovine anterior pituitary is a secretory protein present in gonadotrophs, thyrotrophs, mammotrophs, and corticotrophs

The anterior pituitary is a complex secretory tissue known to contain several sulfated macromolecules. In the present study, we identified the major tyrosine-sulfated protein of the bovine anterior pituitary and investigated its cellular and subcellular localization. This protein consisted of two tyrosine-sulfated polypeptides of molecular weight 86,000 and 84,000 that were highly homologous to each other. In agreement with previous biochemical studies, the tyrosine-sulfated protein of Mr 86,000/84,000 was found to be secretory, as it was observed in the matrix of secretory granules by immunoelectron microscopy. Immunofluorescence studies indicated that the tyrosine- sulfated, secretory protein of Mr 86,000/84,000, referred to as TSP 86/84, was present in all endocrine cells except for some somatotrophic cells. Higher levels of immunoreactivity for TSP 86/84 were observed in gonadotrophic and thyrotrophic than in mammotrophic and corticotrophic cells. This appeared to result from the occurrence of TSP 86/84 in all secretory granules of the former cells and in only some secretory granules of the latter cells. We discuss the possibility that TSP 86/84 may have a role in the packaging of several distinct peptides hormones into secretory granules. One, though not the only, possible function of tyrosine sulfation may concern the sorting of this protein in the Golgi complex.
Accurately modeling a photonic NoC in a detailed CMP simulation framework

Photonic interconnects are a promising solution for the so-called communication bottleneck in current Chip Multiprocessor (CMPs) architectures. This technology presents an inherent low-latency and power consumption almost independent of communication distance, which are really desirable features in future Networks on Chip for next CMPs generations. However, since nanophotonic technology is still growing and therefore in an immature state, current simulators of detailed systems may not provide accurate models of photonic components. In this context, non-representative results are obtained when unaccurate photonic models are assumed. This paper summarizes all of the components that conform a fully operative photonic NoC and presents their current state of the art. Moreover, we evaluate a realistic photonic network that consists of two photonic rings and a token-based arbitration mechanism and compare it against a non-realistic model. In addition, both realistic and non-realistic schemes are evaluated under different configurations varying the number of wavelengths that photonic waveguides employ. The experimental results show that the non-realistic NoC presents up to 6x network latency deviation with respect to the accurate model. This deviation is translated into a performance deviation higher than 10% in several applications studied, which demonstrates the importance of accurate models when simulating current technologies under development like nanophotonics. Finally, a power consumption model of the realistic photonic network is presented. The results show that the overall photonic network power consumption grows with the number of wavelengths per waveguide since the number of required modulators and receivers becomes higher. In this way, the proposed realistic photonic network, which employs only two wavelengths for arbitration and destination selection tasks, increases its power consumption up to 3%, so network designs with more complex arbitration mechanisms must take into account the impact of the number of wavelengths on the power consumption.
Privacy-Preserving Decision Tree Mining Using A Random Replacement Perturbation

Privacy-preserving data mining has become an important topic, and many methods have been proposed for a diverse set of privacy-preserving data mining tasks. However, privacy-preserving decision tree mining pioneered by [1] still remains to be elusive. Indeed, the work of [1] was recently showed to be awed [2], meaning that an adversary can actually recover the original data from the perturbed ones. This naturally triggers the following question: Is the data mining approach of [1] still useful despite that its speci c perturbation method (called adding noise) is awed? In this paper we resolve this issue by exploring a di erent perturbation method for privacy-preserving decision tree mining. In particular, we show that this perturbation method is immune to attacks including that of [2]. Besides, we thoroughly investigate the parameter selections that are useful in guiding privacy-preserving decision tree mining practice. Systematic experiments show that our method is e ective.