Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mesenchymal stromal cells for treatment of the acute respiratory distress syndrome: The beginning of the story

In spite of decades of research, the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) continues to have an unacceptably high mortality and morbidity. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) present a promising candidate for the treatment of this condition and have demonstrated benefit in preclinical models. MSCs, which are a topic of growing interest in many inflammatory disorders, have already progressed to early phase clinical trials in ARDS. While a number of their mechanisms of effect have been elucidated, a better understanding of the complex actions of these cells may pave the way for MSC modifications, which might enable more effective translation into clinical practice.
Company‐based lifelong learning: what’s the pay‐off for employers?

Addresses the question: will investment in HRD through company‐based programmes of lifelong learning pay dividends to companies in terms of knowledge transfer from courses and more positive psychological contracts? Develops a model of the relationship between HRD investment, the content of psychological contracts and key consequences such as satisfaction, continuance commitment and knowledge transfer. This model is tested empirically using data from a survey of a cohort of participants in a major Scottish electronics company. The results show that the programme paid off in terms of more positive psychological contracts and knowledge transfer. However, contrary to other research, the nature of the transfer climate (e.g. manager support, career and salary advancement, etc.) was not seen to be important in affecting knowledge transfer. This latter finding has important implications for HR policies in knowledge creating companies.
Explorer Visual short-term memory binding deficits in familial Alzheimer ' s disease

General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright please contact openaccess@ed.ac. uk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Summary Short-term memory binding is a memory function that underpins the temporary retention of complex objects (e.g. shapes with colours). In the verbal domain, this function has been found to be impaired in sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Whether short-term memory binding is also impaired in familial Alzheimer's disease, whether this impairment extends to the visual domain and whether it could be detected earlier than other cognitive deficits are issues yet to be investigated. Twenty two patients with familial Alzheimer's disease caused by the E280A single presenilin-1 mutation, thirty carriers of the mutation who did not meet Alzheimer's disease criteria (asymptomatic carriers) and 30 healthy relatives (non-carrier healthy controls) were assessed with a visual short-term memory task and a neuropsychological battery. The short-term memory task assessed the recognition of shapes, colours or shape-colour bindings presented in two consecutive arrays (i.e. study and test). Changes, which always occurred in the test array, consisted of new features replacing studied features (single feature conditions) or of features swapping across items (the binding condition). The neuropsychological battery comprised tests of associative and non-associative memory, attention, language, visuospatial and executive functions. Patients with Alzheimer's disease and asymptomatic carriers performed significantly worse than healthy controls in the feature binding condition only. Group comparisons between asymptomatic carriers and healthy controls on standard neuropsychological tasks revealed no significant differences. Classification and area under the curve analyses confirmed that the binding task combines more sensitivity and specificity for patients with Alzheimer's disease and most notably for asymptomatic carriers of the mutation than other traditional neuropsychological measures. This suggests that visual short-term memory binding deficits may be a preclinical marker for familial Alzheimer's disease.
Dimensions of Brand Personality

Although a considerable amount of research in personality psychology has been done to conceptualize human personality, identify the “Big Five” dimensions, and explore the meaning of each dimension, no parallel research has been conducted in consumer behavior on brand personality. Consequently, an understanding of the symbolic use of brands has been limited in the consumer behavior literature. In this research, the author develops a theoretical framework of the brand personality construct by determining the number and nature of dimensions of brand personality (Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication, and Ruggedness). To measure the five brand personality dimensions, a reliable, valid, and generalizable measurement scale is created. Finally, theoretical and practical implications regarding the symbolic use of brands are discussed.
Conditional and Unconditional

I got to know a boy called Xiao Zhang purely by chance. It was virtually love at first sight, and almost two years have passed since we first met and fell in love. Xiao Zhang's home is in the countryside, and he became a temporary worker after graduating from junior middle school. When my parents learned about this, they were firmly against my seeing him. My friends are also giving me advice, saying that I'm a technical school graduate and my work and family conditions are quite good, and that I certainly would not be happy if I married Xiao Zhang.
Comparative Ultrastructural and Stereological Analyses of Unruptured and Ruptured Saccular Intracranial Aneurysms

Insight into processes leading to rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) may identify biomarkers for rupture or lead to management strategies reducing the risk of rupture. We characterized and quantified (ultra)structural differences between unruptured and ruptured aneurysmal walls. Six unruptured and 6 ruptured IA fundi were resected after microsurgical clipping and analyzed by correlative light microscopy for quantitative analysis (proportion of the vessel wall area) and transmission electron microscopy for qualitative ultrastructural analysis. Quantitative analysis revealed extensive internal elastic lamina (IEL) thickening in ruptured IA (36.3% ± 15%), while thin and fragmented IEL were common in unruptured IA (5.6% ± 7.1%). Macrophages were increased in ruptured IA (28.3 ± 24%) versus unruptured IA (2.7% ± 5.5%), as were leukocytes (12.85% ± 10% vs 0%). Vasa vasorum in ruptured but not in unruptured IA contained vast numbers of inflammatory cells and extravasation of these cells into the vessel wall. In conclusion, detection of thickened IEL, leaky vasa vasorum, and heavy inflammation as seen in ruptured IA in comparison to unruptured IA may identify aneurysms at risk of rupture, and management strategies preventing development of vasa vasorum or inflammation may reduce the risk of aneurysmal rupture.
Lack of P-Glycoprotein Expression by Low-Dose Fractionated Radiation Results from Loss of Nuclear Factor-κB and NF-Y Activation in Oral Carcinoma Cells

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is associated with the overproduction of the 170-kDa transmembrane protein P-glycoprotein (MDR1) caused by transcriptional activation. However, the activity of the MDR1 promoter in response to different doses of ionizing radiation has not been investigated. In this study, two squamous cell carcinoma oral cavity cell lines, T-167 and T-409, were exposed to either a standard clinical dose of 2 Gy or low-dose fractionated radiation therapy (LDFRT), delivered as 0.5 Gy in four fractions. MDR1 gene expression and degree of cell death were assessed. Clinically relevant 2-Gy dose of radiation resulted in increased expression of MDR1 by reverse transcription-PCR and luciferase reporter assays in both cell lines (T-167 and T-409), whereas LDFRT did not. LDFRT caused enhanced apoptosis when compared with the 2-Gy dose in T-167 and T-409 cells as assessed by terminal nucleotidyl transferase–mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays. Transcription of the MDR1 gene is regulated by numerous transcription factors, which include nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), NF-Y, SP1, YB1, MEF1 (MDR1 promoter-enhancing factor 1), p53, and NF-R1. Interestingly, 2 Gy robustly induced both NF-κB and NF-Y in T-167 and T-409 cells, but did not show induction when exposed to LDFRT. Silencing the expression of the DNA binding subunit of NF-κB, p50, by small interfering RNA vector resulted in a decrease of MDR1 function by rhodamine 123 efflux assay in T167 cells exposed to 2 Gy. Together, these results provide evidence for the lack of induction of P-glycoprotein expression by LDFRT, which has important implications in combinatorial cancer therapy, including the use of LDFRT as an adjuvant for chemotherapy. (Mol Cancer Res 2008;6(1):89–98)
Predicting Academic Achievement Among Specially Admitted Black Female College Students

Reports have indicated that minority students generally perform well in predominantly white colleges, in spite of low scholastic apti tude test scores. Although the cost of underpredicting their achieve ment has been discussed, the actual incidence of this under prediction seldom has been investigated. By means of stepwise multiple regression analysis, the relationship between college grade- point average (GPA) as the dependent variable and selection predic tor variables—high school rank, the Verbal score and Mathematics score on the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-V and SAT-M)—was evaluated in a sample of black female under graduates who initially had not been accepted by but later were ad mitted to a predominantly white liberal arts college. Results showed that after 8 semesters, 19 percent of the students withdrew or were transferred to another institution, 52% were graduated and 27% were dismissed for academic reasons. Stepwise regression analysis, using SAT-M, SAT-V and high school rank as predictors revealed a coef ficient of multiple determination (R 2) of . 22. High school rank con tributed the greatest proportion of the variance to R 2 (.14). SAT-V and SAT-M scores furnished increments of . 07 and . 01 respectively. The need to identify predictors other than high school rank and SAT-V or SAT-M scores is stressed and the injustice of under prediction is emphasized.
HOW DO PEOPLE GROW FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH TRAUMA OR LOSS

Abstract Several studies of people coping with loss or trauma suggest that posttraumatic growth is common. Recent studies cast doubt on the meaning of such reports of growth, suggesting that the perception of growth may be illusory. From this perspective, perceiving growth may protect or buffer one from reminders of mortality. Using a modified Terror Management paradigm, the authors conducted two experiments involving 89 college students. The data from Study 1 (n = 46) indicate that a brief recall of a traumatic episode from one's past leads one subsequently to more strongly affirm that one's life is meaningful relative to a control group. The results of Study 2 (n = 43) indicate that reminders of death in conjunction with a threat to one's benign view of the world lead people to exaggerate the extent to which their life seems meaningful. It is argued that in the context of loss, people may actively seek positives or gains to defend against mortality threats engendered by the experience, and, if found, se.
Vowel hiatus at Polish word boundaries – Phonetic realization and phonological implications

Abstract This paper presents an acoustic phonetic study of Polish V#V sequences designed to shed light on the phonological representation of glottal marking. Independent phonological evidence from Polish suggests that initial vowels contain an "empty onset" that may be realized as glottal marking. The results of the experiment suggest that glottal marking in Polish is quite robust, and may be realized by increases in spectral balance. In the Onset Prominence environment, the "empty onset" is derived from phonetic principles, realized as specification for the Vocalic Onset layer of structure. VO parameter settings capture important ambiguities in speech perception and allow for a unified analysis of glottal marking, distributional restrictions on Polish vowels, and ambiguities underlying palatalization processes.
Sparing of spatial mental imagery in patients with hippocampal lesions

In four experiments, we explored the capacity for spatial mental imagery in patients with hippocampal lesions, using tasks that minimized the role of learning and memory. On all four tasks, patients with hippocampal lesions performed as well as controls. Nonetheless, in separate tests, the patients were impaired at remembering the materials that had been used to assess mental imagery. The findings suggest that the hippocampus is not needed for constructing many forms of spatial imagery but is needed for the formation of long-term memory. In future studies of the neural organization of spatial mental imagery, it will be important to separate the contribution of spatial processing from the contribution of learning and memory.
Maximal Lp-Regularity for Stochastic Evolution Equations

We prove maximal L p -regularity for the stochastic evolution equation dU (t )+ AU (t) dt = F (t, U (t)) dt + B(t, U (t)) dWH (t) ,t ∈ (0 ,T ), U (0) = u0, under the assumption that A is a sectorial operator with a bounded H ∞ -calculus of angle less than 1 π on a space L q (O ,μ ). The driv- ing process WH is a cylindrical Brownian motion in an abstract Hilbert space H.F orp ∈ (2, ∞ )a nd q ∈ (2, ∞) and initial conditions u0 in the real interpolation space DA(1 − 1 ,p )w e prove existence of a unique strong solution with trajectories in L p (0 ,T ;D(A)) ∩ C((0 ,T );DA(1 − 1 ,p )), provided the nonlinearities F :( 0 ,T ) × D(A) → Lq(O ,μ )a ndB :( 0 ,T ) × D(A) → γ(H,D(A 1 2 )) are of linear growth and Lipschitz continuous in their second variables with small enough Lipschitz constants. Extensions to the case where A is an adapted operator-valued process are considered as well. Vari- ous applications to stochastic partial differential equations are worked out in detail. These include higher-order and time-dependent parabolic equations and the Navier-Stokes equation on a smooth bounded domain O⊆ R d with d ≥ 2. For the latter, the existence of a unique strong local solution with values in (H 1,q (O)) d is shown.
The Roles of Timing and Task Order during Task Switching

The neural bases of the different processes involved in task switching remain poorly identified. Whether distinct brain regions are involved according to the overall structure of the task sequence and the predictability of task timing during task switching is unknown. To address this question, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging and a 2 x 2 factorial design varying timing (fixed/random) and task order (predictable/unpredictable). We hypothesized that predictable task order should activate brain regions involved in long-term memory retrieval because retrieving which task has to be performed constitutes the essential part of what subjects can do to prepare before stimulus presentation. When examining the "pure" main effects of task order/timing predictability/ unpredictability, we found that anticipating task order activated the right hippocampus, the anterior medial prefrontal cortex, and the posterior cingulate cortex, while anticipating task onset timing activated the left middle and superior frontal gyrus. Furthermore, task order unpredictability activated the intraparietal cortex bilaterally while random relative to fixed timing activated the right cerebellum. Interactions between task order and timing were found in a network, which included the left frontopolar cortex and the lateral prefrontal cortex bilaterally. Specifically, the left frontopolar cortex was more activated when both timing and task order were predictable, while the lateral prefrontal cortices were more activated when both task order and timing were unpredictable. These results indicate a hierarchic organization of the prefrontal cortex along a posterioanterior axis as the task becomes more endogenously guided. Finally, we found no evidence for specific brain regions involved in task switching because a bilateral prefronto-parietal network, which was activated in task switching relative to performing each task separately, was no longer activated relative to a control condition, which required subjects to maintain two tasks in memory without switching between them.
Taking the next step: class, resources and educational choice across the generations

Most young people in the UK now stay on in education or training when they finish school. Numbers will continue to increase following the implementation of raising the participation age. Despite an upward trend in further education participation, young people's pathways continue to be shaped by class and gender. This paper explores the choices and decisions made by young people in their final year of compulsory schooling and describes how these class and gender inequalities are reproduced. We also spoke to parents about their own trajectories and their involvement in guiding their children's next steps. Our concern is with young people in ‘the middle’: not most at risk of social exclusion, but certainly not the most privileged. The decisions at this key transitional point are socially embedded. Processes of class reproduction and class mobility are dependent upon both structural context and access to advantageous resources. The opportunity structures for our participants were very different for the two generations. We note the wider role that social resources play at this moment, and the classed differences between the children of parents who had experienced some upward mobility and those who had remained in working-class positions.
Parenting in the Connected Home

New media technologies are a source of anxiety and concern for many parents. In this paper, we report on the parent-child relationships that surround children’s use of the Internet, television, video, DVD, and electronic games. We present three case-study vignettes drawn from an ongoing study of the contemporary Australian home as a node in dense local, regional, and global communication networks. Using these case studies, we identify and draw out some strategies and stances pursued by parents and children to manage their respective uses of new media technologies. We conclude with a discussion of the issues and concerns that surround parenting and new media technologies, noting that use of, and access to, new media technologies are both a site of contested and ongoing negotiation for parents and children, and an occasion for the negotiation of the parent-child relationship. This paper represents an extension and further exploration of issues addressed previously (Arnold, Shepherd, Gibbs, & Mecoles, 2006a, 2006b).
Children Learning to Read — exploring home and school relationships

Abstract It has long been accepted that parents can help their children with learning to read in a variety of ways before children start school and as early readers. A recent study explored parental involvement, including parents’ knowledge of and beliefs about reading processes, their reasons for helping, parents’ perceptions of their roles and the relationship between home and school. The research suggested that although the parents studied were competent helpers, they lacked confidence and would have liked more advice from the schools. Their roles tended to change from the preschool period to the early years of schooling, and they helped for differing reasons related to a particular ‘micro‐culture’ in the home.
The His/Her Challenge: Making Progress in a ‘Regular’ L2 Programme

This paper reports on two studies that investigated the effectiveness of a contrastive analysis type of pedagogical intervention, which aimed to promote interlanguage development in the use and understanding of English possessive determiners (PDs) among adolescent second language (L2) learners. The first research question asked whether explicit instruction involving a rule of thumb, contrastive information and repeated contextualised practice of the rule would allow learners with French and Catalan/Spanish native languages in ‘regular’ limited-exposure programmes to make progress in using and understanding English PDs. The findings in both contexts confirm that this type of form-focused instruction, which had proven successful in more acquisition-rich contexts, could also help school learners in ‘drip feed’ instructional settings extract greater benefit from their limited contact with the L2. The second research question asked whether the developmental framework for the acquisition of English PDs, originally created to account for francophone learners' acquisition, was valid for other L2 populations. The findings demonstrate that it also explains patterns of development among Catalan/Spanish learners. The results of the two studies point to criteria that may be relevant in determining the type, timing and approach for focused pedagogical intervention in limited-exposure programmes.
Canadian childhood obesity estimates based on WHO, IOTF and CDC cut-points.

OBJECTIVE This article compares prevalence estimates of excess weight among Canadian children and youth according to three sets of body mass index (BMI) reference cut-points. The cut-points are based on growth curves generated by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC). A secondary objective is to compare estimates by method of data collection. METHODS Prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity were produced for 2- to 17-year-olds using the three sets of BMI cut-points. Estimates are based on data from 8 661 respondents from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey and 1 840 respondents from the 1978/79 Canada Health Survey. In both surveys, the height and weight of children were measured. RESULTS The 2004 prevalence estimate for the combined overweight/obese category is higher (35%) when based on the WHO cut-points compared with the IOTF (26%) or CDC (28%) cut-points. Estimates of the prevalence of obesity are similar based on WHO and CDC cut-points (13%), but lower when based on IOTF cut-points (8%). Absolute differences in excess weight estimates between 1978/79 and 2004 are similar based on the three sets of cut-points, but the relative increase is greater when based on the IOTF cut-points. Estimates vary substantially by method of data collection. CONCLUSION When interpreting prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity for children and youth, it is important to consider the definitions used and the method of data collection.
Parent–child resemblance and kin investment: Physical resemblance or personality similarity?

Resemblance between parents and children has been suggested as an indicator of kinship. Because men, unlike women, cannot be certain about parenthood, resemblance may influence men more than women when making investment decisions. In the present paper we examine the relation of physical resemblance and personality similarity with parental investment for 90 Dutch parents and their school-age children. For mothers investment was linked to personality similarity, whereas for fathers investment was linked to physical resemblance, suggesting that fathers are influenced by physical cues when making investment decisions, whereas mothers are influenced by psychological cues.