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Technical schools are an integral part of the education system, and yet, little is known about student learning at such institutions. We consider whether assessments of student learning can be jointly administered to both university and technical school students. We examine whether differential test functioning may bias inferences regarding the relative performance of students in quantitative reasoning and critical reading. We apply item response theory models that allow for differences in response behavior as a function of school context. Items show small yet consistent differential functioning in favor of university students, especially for the quantitative reasoning test. These differences are shown to affect inferences regarding effect size differences between the university and technical students (effect sizes can fall by 44% in quantitative reasoning and 24% in critical reading). Differential test functioning influences the rank orderings of institutions by up to roughly 5 percentile points on average.

The Szeged index of a connected graph G (Sz(G)) is a well known distance based topological index. A primitive coronoid system is a coronoid system formed by a single chain in a macro‐cyclic arrangement consisting of linearly and angularly annelated hexagons. The angular hexagons are called corners. A hollow hexagon is a primitive coronoid system with exactly six corners. In this paper we calculate the values of Szeged index of hollow hexagons using the cut method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inefficiency of states in meeting their populations' needs poses a deterrent to citizen participation. Within this context, an inquiry into the impact of citizen laboratories on urban governance becomes pertinent. Democracy necessitates innovation to ascertain solutions by harmonizing technology, knowledge, design, planning, and the social sciences. Citizen laboratories foster this equilibrium, thereby enabling the effective exercise of popular governance. Furthermore, they empower individuals to cultivate their civic conduct grounded in five pivotal concepts: the political, the politic, the policy, the culture, and the cultural. This contributes to urban sustainability and engenders the consolidation of identity, principles, ideals, memory, and the social fabric. By means of a literature review, an examination can be undertaken guided by the foundational premises that shape the distinctive attributes of citizen laboratories. This endeavor proves valuable in extending the discourse, as authentic and unfeigned citizen involvement in decision-making processes for their communities emerges as an indispensable factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spider venoms are composed, among other substances, of peptide toxins whose selectivity for certain physiological targets has made them powerful tools for applications such as bioinsecticides, analgesics, antiarrhythmics, antibacterials, antifungals and antimalarials, among others. Bioinsecticides are an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional agrochemicals. In this paper, the primary structure of an insecticidal peptide was obtained from the venom gland transcriptome of the ctenid spider Phoneutria depilata (Transcript ID PhdNtxNav24). The peptide contains 53 amino acids, including 10 Cys residues that form 5 disulfide bonds. Using the amino acid sequence of such peptide, a synthetic gene was constructed de novo by overlapping PCRs and cloned into an expression vector. A recombinant peptide, named delta-ctenitoxin (rCtx-4), was obtained. It was expressed, folded, purified and validated using mass spectrometry (7994.61 Da). The insecticidal activity of rCtx-4 was demonstrated through intrathoracic injection in crickets (LD50 1.2 μg/g insect) and it was not toxic to mice. rCtx-4 is a potential bioinsecticide that could have a broad spectrum of applications in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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