Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the fast track to a head start: A visual ethnographic study of parental consumption of children’s play and learning activities in Hong Kong

Consumption and play activities are significant factors in children’s immediate and future educational and social development. This article examines four families regarding parental consumption and involvement in children’s play and learning activities. A major finding suggests that families’ growing access to economic and cultural resources can facilitate transfers of intergenerational capital outside schools and can strengthen children’s language skills, social skills, creativity, open-mindedness and self-regulation capacity. In turn, these outcomes help the children make institutional gains in their school careers.
Grammaticalization and innovation in the encoding of motion events

The way in which major Romance languages prefer to encode motion events corresponds, in Talmy’s terminology, to the Verb-framed type. Latin is classified as a Satellite-framed language, and hence the diachronic transition from Latin to Romance involves a typological change. This change has been reconstructed by Herslund (2005) as a chain of processes ordered on a three-stage evolutionary scale, from a low to a high level of grammaticalization. Current Romance languages are located at different positions on this scale, French being the only one to have reached the third stage. The article discusses Herslund’s proposal on the ordering of Romance languages, arguing that both cross-linguistic comparisons of motion typology and the reasons for typological change should be considered at the level of particular linguistic constructions or that of particular event types, rather than as part of the language as a whole.
Evidence suggesting that virulence maps to the P1 region of the coxsackievirus B4 genome

A chimeric virus containing the P1 region of a virulent variant of coxsackievirus B4 and the P2 and P3 regions of a nonvirulent strain was constructed from cDNA clones. The chimeric virus induced pancreatitis with concurrent hypoglycemia similar to that observed in mice infected with the virulent variant.
Maintenance of distinct melanocyte populations in the interfollicular epidermis

Hair follicles and sweat glands are recognized as reservoirs of melanocyte stem cells (MSCs). Unlike differentiated melanocytes, undifferentiated MSCs do not produce melanin. They serve as a source of differentiated melanocytes for the hair follicle and contribute to the interfollicular epidermis upon wounding, exposure to ultraviolet irradiation or in remission from vitiligo, where repigmentation often spreads outwards from the hair follicles. It is unknown whether these observations reflect the normal homoeostatic mechanism of melanocyte renewal or whether unperturbed interfollicular epidermis can maintain a melanocyte population that is independent of the skin's appendages. Here, we show that mouse tail skin lacking appendages does maintain a stable melanocyte number, including a low frequency of amelanotic melanocytes, into adult life. Furthermore, we show that actively cycling differentiated melanocytes are present in postnatal skin, indicating that amelanotic melanocytes are not uniquely relied on for melanocyte homoeostasis.
Ocular Blood Flow and Normal Tension Glaucoma

Normal tension glaucoma (NTG) is known as a multifactorial optic neuropathy characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell death and glaucomatous visual field loss, even though the intraocular pressure (IOP) does not exceed the normal range. The pathophysiology of NTG remains largely undetermined. It is hypothesized that the abnormal ocular blood flow is involved in the pathogenesis of this disease. A number of evidences suggested that the vascular factors played a significant role in the development of NTG. In recent years, the new imaging techniques, fluorescein angiography, color Doppler imaging (CDI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG), have been used to evaluate the ocular blood flow and blood vessels, and the impaired vascular autoregulation was found in patients with NTG. Previous studies showed that NTG was associated with a variety of systemic diseases, including migraine, Alzheimer's disease, primary vascular dysregulation, and Flammer syndrome. The vascular factors were involved in these diseases. The mechanisms underlying the abnormal ocular blood flow in NTG are still not clear, but the risk factors for glaucomatous optic neuropathy likely included oxidative stress, vasospasm, and endothelial dysfunction.
Sensory adaptation as Kalman filtering: theory and illustration with contrast adaptation

Sensory adaptation allows biological systems to adjust to variations in the environment. A recent theoretical work postulated that the goal of adaptation is to minimize errors in the performance of particular tasks. The proposed minimization was Bayesian and required prior knowledge of the environment and of the limitations of the mechanisms processing the information. One problem with that formulation is that the environment changes in time and the theory did not specify how to know what the current state of the environment is. Here, we extend that theory to estimate optimally the environmental state from the temporal stream of responses. We show that such optimal estimation is a generalized form of Kalman filtering. An application of this new Kalman-filtering framework is worked out for retinal contrast adaptation. It is shown that this application can account for surprising features of the data. For example, it accounts for the differences in responses to increases and decreases of mean contrasts in the environment. In addition, it accounts for the two-phase decay of contrast gain when the mean contrast in the environment rises suddenly. The success of this and related theories suggest that sensory adaptation is a form of constrained biological optimization.
Stereoselective oxidation metabolism of 20(S)-protopanaxatriol in human liver microsomes and in rats

Abstract 1. In this study, the oxidative metabolites of 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT) were identified in human liver microsomes (HLMs) and in rats using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. 2. Twelve oxidative metabolites were found in HLM, eight of which have not been previously reported. Twenty-four oxidative metabolites were found in rat feces after oral administration and 20 of these, including six found in HLM, were first reported. The results indicated PPT was more extensively metabolized in rats than in HLM. C20–24 epoxides, a pair of epimers (namely, M1-1 and M1-2) were the major metabolites, and other metabolites were derived from their further metabolism. 3. Enzyme kinetics experiments showed that the apparent formation Vmax of M1-1 was 10.4 folds and 2.4 folds higher than that of M1-2 in HLM and in rat liver microsomes (RLMs), respectively. The depletion rate of M1-2 was 11.0 folds faster than M1-1 in HLM, and was similar in RLM. Hence, the remarkable species differences of PPT metabolism mainly resulted from the stereoselective formation and further metabolic elimination of M1-1 and M1-2. 4. Chemical inhibition study and recombinant human P450 isoforms analysis showed that CYP3A4 was the predominant isoform involved in the oxidative metabolism of M1-1 and M1-2.
Reverse switching of surface roughness in a self-organized polydomain liquid crystal coating

Significance Switching surface topographic patterns in a dynamic way controls properties such as friction, sticking–release, light reflection, aero- and hydrodynamics, self-cleaning, and touch experience. We present a method to make coatings which are initially flat but form a spiked surface structure under light exposure. The surface turns flat again immediately as the light switches off. The polydomain liquid crystal provides a convenient method that makes fabrication of responsive coatings significantly easier than previous methods. The polydomain texture is simulated by finite elements and the topographic deformation can be understood in terms of director-dependent absorption and related changes in local order. Moreover, the dynamic creation of free volume further enhances the surface modulation to the record value of 24% of the film thickness. In this work we propose randomly ordered polydomain nematic liquid crystal polymer networks to reversibly generate notable jagged relief patterns at a polymer coating surface by light illumination. The domain size is controlled by the addition of traces of partly insoluble fluorinated acrylate. The photoresponse of the coating is induced by a small amount of copolymerized azobenzene monomers. Upon exposure to UV light, azobenzene undergoes trans to cis isomerization, resulting in a change in molecular order and packing within each domain. The extent of this effect and its directionality depends on the domain orientation. Localized to domain level, this morphological change forms large 3D spikes at the surface with a modulation amplitude of more than 20% of the initial thickness. The process is reversible; the surface topographical patterns erase within 10 s by stopping the light exposure. A finite element model is applied to simulate the surface topography changes of the polydomain coating. The simulations describe the formation of the topographic features in terms of light absorption and isomerization process as a function of the director orientation. The random director distribution leads to surface structures which were found to be in close agreement with the ones measured by interference microscopy. The effect of domain size on surface roughness and depth modulation was explored and related to the internal mechanical constraints. The use of nematic liquid crystal polydomains confined in a polymer network largely simplifies the fabrication of smart coatings with a prominent triggered topographic response.
Application of sectorised antennas and STBC to increase the capacity of hot spot WLANs in an interworked WLAN/3G network

At present, wireless local area networks (WLANs) supporting broadband multimedia communication are being developed around the world. Standards include HIPERLAN/2 and the IEEE 802.11 family. These systems provide channel adaptive data rates up to 54 Mbps over short ranges up to 200 meters. It is likely that WLANs will become an important complementary technology to 3G cellular systems and will typically be used to provide 'hot-spot' coverage. The complementary use of WLANs with and without sectorised antennas in conjunction with UMTS is presented. Additionally, results are presented for the case where STBC (space time block codes) are considered as a means of enhancing WLAN performance. It is shown that significant enhancements in both coverage and capacity can be achieved in both cases.
Elastic coupling of limb joints enables faster bipedal walking

The passive dynamics of bipedal limbs alone are sufficient to produce a walking motion, without need for control. Humans augment these dynamics with muscles, actively coordinated to produce stable and economical walking. Present robots using passive dynamics walk much slower, perhaps because they lack elastic muscles that couple the joints. Elastic properties are well known to enhance running gaits, but their effect on walking has yet to be explored. Here we use a computational model of dynamic walking to show that elastic joint coupling can help to coordinate faster walking. In walking powered by trailing leg push-off, the model's speed is normally limited by a swing leg that moves too slowly to avoid stumbling. A uni-articular spring about the knee allows faster but uneconomical walking. A combination of uni-articular hip and knee springs can speed the legs for improved speed and economy, but not without the swing foot scuffing the ground. Bi-articular springs coupling the hips and knees can yield high economy and good ground clearance similar to humans. An important parameter is the knee-to-hip moment arm that greatly affects the existence and stability of gaits, and when selected appropriately can allow for a wide range of speeds. Elastic joint coupling may contribute to the economy and stability of human gait.
Oncogenic BRAFV600E Induces Expression of Neuronal Differentiation Marker MAP2 in Melanoma Cells by Promoter Demethylation and Down-regulation of Transcription Repressor HES1*

MAP2 is a neuron-specific microtubule-associated protein that binds and stabilizes dendritic microtubules. Previously, we showed that MAP2 expression is (a) activated in cutaneous primary melanoma and (b) inversely associated with melanoma tumor progression. We also showed that ectopic expression of MAP2 in metastatic melanoma cells inhibits cell growth by inducing mitotic spindle defects and apoptosis. However, molecular mechanisms of regulation of MAP2 gene expression in melanoma are not understood. Here, we show that in melanoma cells MAP2 expression is induced by the demethylating agent 5-aza-2′-cytidine, and MAP2 promoter is progressively methylated during melanoma progression, indicating that epigenetic mechanisms are involved in silencing of MAP2 in melanoma. In support of this, methylation of MAP2 promoter DNA in vitro inhibits its activity. Because MAP2 promoter activity levels in melanoma cell lines also correlated with activating mutation in BRAF, a gene that is highly expressed in neurons, we hypothesized that BRAF signaling is involved in MAP2 expression. We show that hyperactivation of BRAF-MEK signaling activates MAP2 expression in melanoma cells by two independent mechanisms, promoter demethylation or down-regulation of neuronal transcription repressor HES1. Our data suggest that BRAF oncogene levels can regulate melanoma neuronal differentiation and tumor progression.
Ethanol stimulates the formation of free oxygen radicals in the brain of newborn rats.

The possibility of free radicals effects in ethanol-induced teratogenesis was investigated by determining the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the neonatal rat brain. Ethanol 33% was administered daily, by i.p. injection from day 8 of pregnancy to day 6-8 p.n. The presence of the lipid peroxidation process (indicating ROS formation) was determined by using a qualitative and quantitative analysis of malondialdehyde (MDA). An important increase of MDA was found suggesting the involvement of ROS in the pathogenetic mechanism of alcohol embryo- and fetopathy.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes Management: The Moderating Role of Coping Styles

Background and Aim Evidence of the efficacy of existing psychological interventions for self-management in diabetes is limited. The current study aimed at assessing the effects of group-based ACT on self-management of patients with T2DM, considering the moderating role of coping styles. Methods One hundred and six patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned either to the education alone (n = 53) or to a combination of education and group-based acceptance and commitment therapy (n = 53) over a period of 10 sessions. In each group, 50 participants completed a 3 month follow-up assessment. Results After 3 months, compared to patients who received education alone, those in the group-based acceptance and commitment therapy condition were more likely to use effective coping strategies, reported better diabetes self-care, and optimum glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels in the target range. Conclusions Consideration of the role of coping style for a more accurate evaluation of the effects of acceptance and commitment therapy may be a useful addition to services provided for patients with type 2 diabetes.
Behavioral Factors in Mutual Fund Flows

Using a sample of daily net flows to nearly 1,000 U.S. mutual funds over a year and a half period, we identify a set of systematic factors that explain a significant amount of the variation in flows. This suggests the existence of a common component to mutual fund investor behavior and indicates which asset classes may be regarded as economic substitutes by the participants in the market for mutual fund shares. We find that flows into equity funds -- both domestic and international -- are negatively correlated to flows to money market funds and precious metals funds. This suggests that investor rebalancing between cash and equity explains a significant amount of trade in mutual fund shares. The negative correlation of equities to metals suggests that this timing is not simply due to liquidity concerns, but rather to sentiment about the equity premium. We address the question of whether behavioral factors spread returns by using the mutual fund flow factors as pre-specified regressors in a Fama-MacBeth asset pricing framework. We find that the factors derived from flows alone explain as much as 45% of the cross-sectional variation in mutual fund returns. The fund flow factors provide significant incremental explanatory power in the cross-sectional regressions on daily returns. We consider a number of alternatives to explain our evidence including causality from returns to flows and vice-versa. Our evidence is consistent with the existence of a pervasive investor sentiment variable.
Patterns of Antiplatelet Therapy in Patients Who Have Experienced an Acute Coronary Event

Background: Antiplatelet (AP) therapy is well established for the secondary prevention of acute coronary events. However, patients may discontinue treatment, often owing to gastrointestinal (GI) complications, leaving them at elevated risk of recurrent cardiovascular events. Objectives: This descriptive retrospective study assessed trends in prescription of AP agents and coprescription of gastroprotective therapy, after an acute coronary event. Discontinuation of AP therapy within 2 years of an event and factors predicting discontinuation were investigated. Methods: The study was conducted in a UK primary care setting from 2000 to 2008; a total of 27 351 patients aged 50 to 84 years were included in the analysis. Main outcome measures were exposures to low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), clopidogrel, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Results: At 90 days after an acute coronary event, 85.9% of patients had been prescribed some form of AP therapy and 33.6% of patients who were issued at least 1 ASA prescription in this period were also issued a PPI prescription. The use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAT) 90 days after an event increased from 2% in 2000 to over 50% in 2008. An estimated 15.1% of patients on ASA monotherapy and 37.5% on DAT discontinued treatment within 1 year. A bleeding event during follow-up, including upper GI bleeding or hemorrhagic stroke, was the strongest predictor of discontinuation. Conclusion: Although most patients were prescribed AP therapy in the 90 days following an acute coronary event, a substantial proportion discontinued DAT or ASA monotherapy within 1 year. It is essential that physicians consider strategies to reduce the risk of discontinuation of AP therapy.
Predictors of subjective physical health and global well-being similarities and differences between the United States and Germany

Predictors of subjective physical health and global well-being were compared in a representative U.S. (N = 2,400) and a German (N = 1,607) sample of adults (age range: 25-65 years). Because of cultural overlap between Western industrialized nations, similarities in predictive patterns were expected. Differences in the economic and social systems as well as the cultural background, however, should also generate differences. As expected, the overall predictive power of the three sets of predictors (sociostructural variables, personality traits, and self-regulatory characteristics) was sizable in both countries. The strongest unique predictors were self-regulatory indicators for subjective physical health and personality traits for global well-being. In addition, however, theory-consistent country differences emerged in how personal and social resources seem to be orchestrated to maximize well-being. The pursuits of health and happiness or subjective well-being are central to human existence. Not surprisingly, therefore, subjective well-being and subjective physical health are popular topics of psychological research. Questions concerning the personal characteristics and contextual factors that predict global and domainspecific subjective well-being are central in that line of research. In the context of bottom-up and top-down models of subjective well-being, three main sources are discussed: sociostructural characteristics, personality traits, and self-regulatory indicators (e.g., Brief, Butcher, George, & Link, 1993; Costa et al, 1987; Diener, 1994; Ryff, 1989; Smith, Fleeson, Geiselmann, Settersten, & Kunzmann, 1999; Staudinger & Fleeson 1996; Veenhoven, 1991). Further, lifespan theory argues that sociostructural characteristics as well as psychological characteristics might take on different functions and, therefore, show different effects depending on the larger cultural context in which they are embedded (e.g., P. B.
Racism in contemporary American institutions: a critical, color-blind discourse analysis of sport

This research examines the prevalence of the “new” or contemporary form of racism that exists in post-Civil Rights American society. Since the 1960s, racial ideologies and racism have shifted from “traditional” or overt to a “new” form that is covert and dialectical in nature. This study explores the ways in which the “new” form of racism manifests in discussions about sports and race in an internet environment that is very public yet seemingly private for commenters because of the ability to make comments anonymously. A thematic analysis of 545 comments in relation to two race-related sports articles that appeared on ESPN.com was performed using a critical race theory perspective and Bonilla-Silva’s colorblind framework. The discussions surrounding these race-related incidents and subsequent articles included the racialized frames of (a) abstract liberalism, (b) naturalization, (c) cultural racism, and (d) minimization of racism as means of explaining racial injustice and maintaining the racial hierarchy in modern society. This analysis revealed that not all individuals conform to the predominant ideology of racism in sports and society, these individuals are known as racial progressives. The findings revealed that racism is cultural, socially constructed and present within contemporary society and sports even though individuals and groups would like to believe otherwise. Moreover, the results indicated that sports and the internet are important domains to examine how racism is continually endorsed and reproduced in contemporary American society.
Academic Reading Strategies used by Leeds Metropolitan University Graduates: A Case Study

Academic reading is different from other forms of reading because it is complex and discipline-specific. It involves a measured, challenging, and multifaceted process in which students are dynamically engaged with a range of reading strategies. Academic reading improvement is possible, provided students work on it and there are no short cuts or remedies which will cure the reading problems. Reading improvement is hard work and a difficult task, but it is rewarding as well. This study examined the selection and use of academic reading strategies used by the undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at Leeds Metropolitan University, Headingley Campus, Leeds. A quantitative data study was carried out to investigate three aspects of academic reading strategies: (a) efficiency, (b) interacting with texts, and (c) critical reading strategies. The results of this survey suggest that the participants on balance have proficient reading skills, but a significant number of participants have ineffective reading strategies and bad reading habits. Recommendations and suggestions have been put forward to improve academic reading strategies and for further research.