bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Managerial coaching of frontline employees: The moderating role of gender
Authors: Pousa Claudio , Richards David A. , Trépanier Carole
Published: July 2018

Managerial coaching (also known as the leader‐as‐coach model) is becoming prevalent as a new management paradigm to develop and empower employees and help them increase their performance. At the same time, the composition of the workforce has changed, with female employees reaching almost 50% of workers and around 30% of managers. Accordingly, scholars have set out to understand if gender affects managerial behaviors and employee responses. The goal of this study is to evaluate if significant differences in performance should be expected when coaching female and male employees. The results suggest that female and male responses to managerial coaching are more complex than expected. Managerial coaching positively affects female behavioral and result performance and male behavioral performance, but—contrary to expectations—no significant effect was found for coaching on male result performance. Additionally, female and male employees differ in their self‐evaluation of the focal performance constructs, with females evaluating their contribution to performance at lower levels than their male counterparts. The results suggest that, to be an effective developmental tool, the approach taken with coaching should take into consideration the recipient's gender and address different areas of performance.
Barriers to price convergence
Authors: Glushenkova Marina , Kourtellos Andros , Zachariadis Marios
Published: July 2018

This paper uncovers novel empirical patterns in the cross‐country price mechanism using a nonlinear factor model and threshold regression analysis based on individual goods retail price data for a large panel of countries. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to find strong evidence for club convergence of retail prices. These clubs emerge due to the interaction of traded and nontraded factors. For example, countries physically closer to potential trade partners converge faster than countries in the high distance regime as long as they have low initial labor productivity or low initial income. Moreover, we find an asymmetry in the extent that arbitrage opportunities related to international trade are exploited, with low initial price regime countries exhibiting faster convergence from below than high initial price regime countries exhibit from above, consistent with less resistance to exporting than to importing due to political economy considerations. We interpret our findings as evidence of a local law of one price due to barriers to price convergence influencing the duration of the effect of price shocks.
Thermal effect on dispersive infrared spectroscopic imaging of prostate cancer tissue
Authors: Song Cai L. , Ryu Meguya , Morikawa Junko , Kothari Archana , Kazarian Sergei G.
Published: July 2018

A system that combines dispersive infrared micro‐spectroscopic imaging and thermography has been developed to study the effect of thermal radiation on the infrared absorption spectra of prostate biopsy samples. The system allows the distribution of thermal signal intensity as a function of emissivity to be interpreted from the integrated absorbance obtained by spectroscopic imaging. Biochemical differences between cancer and benign areas within the specimens are identified in the spectra. Side‐by‐side comparison of H&E stained adjacent tissue sections with infrared images constructed before and after the removal of thermal effect showed that the latter strongly support differentiation of regions within tissues. The use of spectral bands at discrete wavelengths significantly reduced spectral acquisition time, making this technique promising as a future clinical diagnostic tool. A systemic methodology was implemented to process the data, first by k‐means clustering on the second derivative spectra without a priori knowledge, followed by principal component analysis (PCA). Four distinct regions within the tissue samples were successfully classified based on the antisymmetric stretching mode of the methylene functional group. Separation between data in clusters occurs when projecting spectra on a PCA score plot on a plane made by first 2 principal components. The significance of the disparity was verified with statistical test. Regulation of signal to chopper and detector enables simultaneous acquisition of infrared and thermal images of the prostate biopsy tissues.
Upregulation of miR‐874‐3p and miR‐874‐5p inhibits epithelial ovarian cancer malignancy via SIK2
Authors: Xia Bairong , Lin Mei , Dong Wei , Chen Hong , Li Bing , Zhang Xiaye , Hou Yan , Lou Ge
Published: July 2018

Based on miR‐874 expression levels in the GSE47841 microarray, we hypothesized that the mature products of miR‐874, miR‐874‐3p, or miR‐874‐5p, would inhibit epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cell proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance. We first examined miR‐874‐3p and miR‐874‐5p expression levels in primary EOC tumor tissue samples and found that they were significantly decreased. 3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cell proliferation and transwell assays revealed that miR‐874‐3p and miR‐874‐5p significantly inhibit EOC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Then, using MTT and soft agar assays of paclitaxel‐treated Caov3 and SKOV3 cells transfected with miR‐874‐3p and miR‐874‐5p, we found that miR‐874‐3p and miR‐874‐5p enhance EOC cell chemosensitivity. We then confirmed that serine/threonine‐protein kinase 2 (SIK2) was a target gene of miR‐874‐3p and miR‐874‐5p. Overall, the results of this study indicate that SIK2 expression can serve as a prognostic biomarker for EOC and that miR‐874‐3p and miR‐874‐5p have the potential to enhance clinical treatment of EOC.
Dynamics of Dof domain‐DNA interaction in wheat: Insights from atomistic simulations and free energy landscape
Authors: Pandey Bharati , Grover Abhinav , Sharma Pradeep
Published: July 2018

DNA‐binding one zinc finger protein (Dof) is a plant‐specific transcription factor involved in numerous biological processes. In the current study, the plausible mechanism underlying Dof domain‐DNA interaction in wheat was investigated using extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations analysis. We depicted that one key residue Lys29, possessing the ability to disturb the interaction between Dof domain‐DNA upon substitution to Arg29. Frequent conformational changes were observed in Lys29Arg (K29R)‐DNA complex during the entire MD simulation period, which significantly altered the interactions, thereby indicating the importance of Lys29 in complex stability. Principal component analysis and free energy landscape results also suggested strong affinity between wild‐type Dof domain and DNA due to restricted atomic movement. Our study not only substantiates the structural and mechanistic insights of Dof transcription factor but also provides new avenues toward employment of these key amino acid residues in genetic engineering for development of abiotic stress tolerance crop plant.
Inhibition of transcription factor SP1 produces neuroprotective effects through decreasing MAO B activity in MPTP/MPP+ Parkinson's disease models
Authors: Yao Lu , Dai Xing , Sun Yina , Wang Yong , Yang Qian , Chen Xinlin , Liu Yong , Zhang Li , Xie Wen , Liu Jian
Published: July 2018

Monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) inhibitors, which inhibit dopamine decomposition by antagonizing MAO B activity, are approved and widely used for clinical treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Nonetheless, the mechanism of the abnormally increased MAO B activity in PD is still unclear. Previous research showed transcription factor specificity protein 1 (SP1) directly regulates MAO B activity by binding the SP1 binding sequence in MAO B promoter. In our study, we first observed that the SP1 protein level and SP1 binding activity in the MAO B promoter were increased in 1‐methyl‐4‐phenylpyridinium (MPP+) neurotoxin‐induced SH‐SY5Y cells. Inhibition of SP1 by pretreatment with SP1 inhibitor mithramycin A (MMA) attenuated the abnormal increase in SP1 binding activity and the MAO B protein level to basal levels. Then, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of SP1 inhibition. In SH‐SY5Y cell models of PD, preincubation with MMA or knockdown by SP1‐specific small interfering RNA showed potent protection against MPP+‐induced apoptosis via SP1. In a male C57BL/6 mouse model of PD, MAO B activity and MPP+ concentrations in mouse brain following injection of 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) were increased, whereas the elevated MAO B activity was decreased after pre‐injection of MMA. Moreover, MMA ameliorated MPTP‐induced loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and mouse behavioral impairments. Altogether, our study suggests that SP1 is a principal factor regulating increases in MAO B activity, and SP1 inhibition produces neuroprotective effects in PD models through decreases in MAO B activity, which may be a new neuroprotective therapeutic strategy for PD treatment.
Arctic amplification metrics
Authors: Davy Richard , Chen Linling , Hanna Edward
Published: July 2018

One of the defining features of both recent and historical cases of global climate change is Arctic amplification (AA). This is the more rapid change in the surface air temperature (SAT) in the Arctic compared to some wider reference region, such as the Northern Hemisphere (NH) mean. Many different metrics have been developed to quantify the degree of AA based on SAT anomalies, trends and variability. The use of different metrics, as well as the choice of data set to use, can affect conclusions about the magnitude and temporal variability of AA. Here we review the established metrics of AA to see how well they agree upon the temporal signature of AA, such as the multi‐decadal variability, and assess the consistency in these metrics across different commonly used data sets which cover both the early and late 20th century warming in the Arctic. We find the NOAA 20th century reanalysis most closely matches the observations when using metrics based upon SAT trends (A2), variability (A3) and regression (A4) of the SAT anomalies, and the ERA 20th century reanalysis is closest to the observations in the SAT anomalies (A1) and variability of SAT anomalies (A3). However, there are large seasonal differences in the consistency between data sets. Moreover, the largest differences between the century‐long reanalysis products and observations are during the early warming period, likely due to the sparseness of the observations in the Arctic at that time. In the modern warming period, the high density of observations strongly constrains all the reanalysis products, whether they include satellite observations or only surface observations. Thus, all the reanalysis and observation products produce very similar magnitudes and temporal variability in the degree of AA during the recent warming period.
Divergent and Convergent Group Creativity in an Asynchronous Online Environment
Authors: Coursey Lauren E. , Williams Belinda C. , Kenworthy Jared B. , Paulus Paul B. , Doboli Simona
Published: July 2018

This study examined the influence of various group diversity dimensions on collaborative creativity related to the healthcare system. Research findings on the association between diversity and brainstorming performance has been mixed. Diversity that increases cognitive stimulation or promotes elaboration has been shown to increase group performance. Participants exchanged ideas, replied, and elaborated using an electronic discussion board in an asynchronous fashion in groups of five over a period of 4 weeks. The groups varied in diversity of ethnicity, gender, age, and political orientation, but participants were not made aware of this diversity. Age and gender diversity were related to lower levels of replying to ideas and lower idea novelty but political diversity was related to increased replies and novelty. If a topic engages people with different perspectives to actively respond to others’ ideas, this can increase the creative potential of idea sharing in groups. Political or value‐based diversity has the potential for creative solutions if the other participants’ political or value‐based identities are not made salient.
Impact of cold soak duration on Cabernet Sauvignon fermentation and phenolic composition
Authors: Lerno Larry A , Panprivech Siriwan , Ponangi Ravi , Brenneman Charles A , Block David E , Oberholster Anita
Published: July 2018

BACKGROUND

Cold soak is a prefermentative maceration technique believed to enhance grape skin extraction. Studies show variable results depending on cold soak and winemaking conditions. To investigate the effect of cold soak more fully, systematic and highly reproducible Cabernet Sauvignon fermentations with increasing cold‐soak durations were performed.

RESULTS

Phenolic extraction during cold soak and fermentation showed significant differences among all treatments for monitored phenolics at the end of the cold soak. At the end of alcoholic fermentation only gallic acid, (−)‐epicatechin, and the flavonols were significant, and only (−)‐epicatechin was significant after bottle ageing. Descriptive analysis of the bottled wines showed that the 4‐ and 7‐day treatments were significantly higher in caramelized/vanilla/browned flavor compared to the 1‐day treatment and lower levels of bitterness were observed up to 2 days of cold soak. While oligosaccharide content increased with increasing cold‐soak duration, differences were not large enough to result in sensory differences.

CONCLUSION

While increased cold soak duration led to differences in phenolic extraction during early fermentation, these differences did not last through to the end product. Thus, under the conditions of this study, cold‐soak duration had little overall impact on Cabernet Sauvignon wine composition and style. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Thermal and functional characteristics of defatted bovine heart using supercritical CO2 and organic solvent
Authors: Rahman M Shafiur , Gul Khalid , Yang Han‐Sul , Chun Jiyeon , Kerr William L , Choi Sung‐Gil
Published: July 2018

BACKGROUND

Consumer demand for low‐fat foods has been increasing as a result of attempts to reduce obesity and chronic diseases. Bovine heart was defatted using supercritical CO2 (SC‐CO2) at different pressures together with solvent extraction to produce a protein‐based functional ingredient for low‐fat food products. Thermal and functional characteristics of control and defatted samples were compared.

RESULTS

Supercritical CO2 treatment at high pressure results in more removal of fat, producing a protein‐rich defatted bovine heart (DBH). The differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) thermograms and SDS‐PAGE bands for SC‐CO2‐treated DBHs were similar to those of the control sample, indicating high protein stability and better functionality. Hexane‐treated DBH showed no major thermal peaks and very diffuse bands in SDS‐PAGE, indicating denaturation of proteins during solvent extraction. No denaturation of proteins in SC‐CO2‐treated DBHs resulted in significantly higher water/oil absorption capacities (3320.00 and 2630.00 g kg−1, respectively), total soluble solids (822.20 and 208.71 g kg−1 at pH 3.5 and 6.5, respectively), foaming capacities (149.37%), and emulsion activity (66.89%) than the hexane‐treated DBH.

CONCLUSION

Supercritical CO2 treatment of DBH led to higher thermal stability and functional properties than the control and hexane‐treated DBH. Defatted bovine heart using SC‐CO2 can be a functional ingredient for various low‐fat and high‐protein food products for health‐conscious consumers. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Effect of biosurfactant extract obtained from the corn‐milling industry on probiotic bacteria in drinkable yogurt
Authors: López‐Prieto Alejandro , Rodríguez‐López Lorena , Rincón‐Fontán Myriam , Moldes Ana B , Cruz José M
Published: July 2018

BACKGROUND

Recent studies have proven that biosurfactants (BS) obtained from controlled fermentation have shown surfactant and antimicrobial properties. In this work a biosurfactant extract obtained from a raw agroindustrial stream from the corn‐milling industry was introduced into a drinkable probiotic yogurt containing Lactobacillus casei.

RESULTS

The effect of the biosurfactant extract on the probiotic population was determined under different biosurfactant concentration, temperature, and time conditions. This extract was able to reduce the surface tension of water by 30 mN/m and it was observed that its addition to a drinkable probiotic yogurt did not negatively affect the biomass of L. casei during incubation. It also had a positive effect on the population of L. casei, increasing the growth of the probiotic bacterium in the yogurt under optimum temperature conditions for the growth of L. casei, in the range of 30–40 °C. Likewise, the biosurfactant extract did not modify the homofermentative pathway of L. casei; hence no acetic acid was detected in the presence of the biosurfactant extract in the drinkable yogurt.

CONCLUSION

This is the first time that a biosurfactant extract, obtained from natural sources, has been introduced into a food product like a drinkable probiotic yogurt, producing a positive effect in the growth of probiotic bacterium. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Particulate matter flux interception in oceanic mesoscale eddies by the polychaete Poeobius sp.
Authors: Christiansen Svenja , Hoving Henk‐Jan , Schütte Florian , Hauss Helena , Karstensen Johannes , Körtzinger Arne , Schröder Simon‐Martin , Stemmann Lars , Christiansen Bernd , Picheral Marc , Brandt Peter , Robison Bruce , Koch Reinhard , Kiko Rainer
Published: July 2018

Gelatinous zooplankton hold key functions in the ocean and have been shown to significantly influence the transport of organic carbon to the deep sea. We discovered a gelatinous, flux‐feeding polychaete of the genus Poeobius in very high abundances in a mesoscale eddy in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, where it co‐occurred with extremely low particle concentrations. Subsequent analysis of an extensive in situ imaging dataset revealed that Poeobius sp. occurred sporadically between 5°S–20°N and 16°W–46°W in the upper 1000 m. Abundances were significantly elevated and the depth distribution compressed in anticyclonic modewater eddies (ACMEs). In two ACMEs, high Poeobius sp. abundances were associated with strongly reduced particle concentrations and fluxes in the layers directly below the polychaete. We discuss possible reasons for the elevated abundances of Poeobius sp. in ACMEs and provide estimations showing that a single zooplankton species can completely intercept the downward particle flux by feeding with their mucous nets, thereby substantially altering the biogeochemical setting within the eddy.
Lake morphometry moderates the relationship between water color and fish biomass in small boreal lakes
Authors: Seekell David A. , Byström Pär , Karlsson Jan
Published: July 2018

Lake morphometry may moderate the effects of water color on fish biomass in boreal lakes, but empirical evidence is scarce because there are a limited number of lakes for which both water color and bathymetry have been measured. We evaluated variations in catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE), an indicator of fish biomass, across orthogonal gradients of light extinction and mean depth in 16 small Swedish lakes (mean depth 1.7–4.8 m, surface area 1–10 ha). Multiple regression coefficients indicated that the effect of light extinction on CPUE was negative, and that the relationship was more negative for deeper lakes than it was for shallower lakes. The pattern was strongest for lakes with mean depths between 2.1 m and 3.5 m. We estimated that 26% of small lakes in boreal Sweden fall within this mean depth range. These results contribute to the growing understanding of how variations in water color and lake morphometry influence patterns of fish biomass across the boreal landscape.
Recent ecological change in ancient lakes
Authors: Hampton Stephanie E. , McGowan Suzanne , Ozersky Ted , Virdis Salvatore G. P. , Vu Tuong Thuy , Spanbauer Trisha L. , Kraemer Benjamin M. , Swann George , Mackay Anson W. , Powers Stephen M. , Meyer Michael F. , Labou Stephanie G. , O'Reilly Catherine M. , DiCarlo Morgan , Galloway Aaron W. E. , Fritz Sherilyn C.
Published: July 2018

Ancient lakes are among the best archivists of past environmental change, having experienced more than one full glacial cycle, a wide range of climatic conditions, tectonic events, and long association with human settlements. These lakes not only record long histories of environmental variation and human activity in their sediments, but also harbor very high levels of biodiversity and endemism. Yet, ancient lakes are faced with a familiar suite of anthropogenic threats, which may degrade the unusual properties that make them especially valuable to science and society. In all ancient lakes for which data exist, significant warming of surface waters has occurred, with a broad range of consequences. Eutrophication threatens both native species assemblages and regional economies reliant on clean surface water, fisheries, and tourism. Where sewage contributes nutrients and heavy metals, one can anticipate the occurrence of less understood emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and microplastics that negatively affect lake biota and water quality. Human populations continue to increase in most of the ancient lakes’ watersheds, which will exacerbate these concerns. Further, human alterations of hydrology, including those produced through climate change, have altered lake levels. Co‐occurring with these impacts have been intentional and unintentional species introductions, altering biodiversity. Given that the distinctive character of each ancient lake is strongly linked to age, there may be few options to remediate losses of species or other ecosystem damage associated with modern ecological change, heightening the imperative for understanding these systems.
Turbulence in a small arctic pond
Authors: MacIntyre Sally , Crowe Adam. T. , Cortés Alicia , Arneborg Lars
Published: July 2018

Small ponds, numerous throughout the Arctic, are often supersaturated with climate‐forcing trace gases. Improving estimates of emissions requires quantifying (1) their mixing dynamics and (2) near‐surface turbulence which would enable emissions. To this end, we instrumented an arctic pond (510 m2, 1 m deep) with a meteorological station, a thermistor array, and a vertically oriented acoustic Doppler velocimeter. We contrasted measured turbulence, as the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy, ε, with values predicted from Monin–Obukhov similarity theory (MOST) based on wind shear as u*w, the water friction velocity, and buoyancy flux, β, under cooling. Stratification varied over diel cycles; the thermocline upwelled as winds changed allowing ventilation of near‐bottom water. Near‐surface temperature stratification was up to 7°C per meter. With respect to predictions from MOST: (1) With positive β under heating and strong near‐surface stratification, turbulence was suppressed; (2) under heating with moderate stratification and under cooling with light to moderate winds, measured ε was in agreement with MOST; (3) under cooling with no wind and when surface currents had ceased, as occurred 20% of the time, turbulence was measurable and predicted from β. Near‐surface turbulence was enhanced under cooling and light winds relative to that under a neutral atmosphere due to higher values of drag coefficients under unstable atmospheres. Small ponds are dynamic systems with wind‐induced thermocline tilting enabling vertical exchanges. Near‐surface turbulence, similar to that in larger systems, can be computed from surface meteorology enabling accurate estimates of gas transfer coefficients and emissions.
Resonant Edge‐State Switching in Polariton Topological Insulators
Authors: Zhang Yiqi , Kartashov Yaroslav V. , Zhang Yanpeng , Torner Lluis , Skryabin Dmitry V.
Published: July 2018

Topological insulators are unique devices supporting unidirectional edge states at their interfaces. Due to topological protection, such edge states persist in the presence of disorder and do not experience backscattering upon interaction with defects. Despite the topological protection and the fact that such states at the opposite edges of an insulator carry opposite currents, a physical mechanism exists allowing topological excitations propagating at opposite edges to be resonantly coupled. Such a mechanism uses weak periodic temporal modulations of the system parameters and does not affect the internal symmetry and topology of the system. This mechanism is illustrated in truncated honeycomb arrays of microcavity pillars, where topological insulation is possible for polaritons under the combined action of spin–orbit coupling and Zeeman splitting in the external magnetic field. The temporal modulation of the potential leads to a periodic switching between topological states with the same Bloch momentum, but located at the opposite edges. The switching rate is found to increase for narrower ribbon structures and for larger modulation depth, though it is changing nonmonotonically with the Bloch momentum of the input edge state. These results provide a promising realization of a coupling device based on topologically protected states.
Superhydrophobic Coatings for Improved Performance of Electrical Insulators
Authors: Vallabhuneni Sravanthi , Movafaghi Sanli , Wang Wei , Kota Arun K.
Published: July 2018

Dielectric strength of electrical insulators is adversely affected by both wet conditions and surface roughness due to accelerated dielectric breakdown. While textured superhydrophobic coatings (i.e., coatings that are extremely repellent to water) can prevent the accumulation of water and help retain the dielectric strength of insulators under wet conditions, it is unclear whether or not the presence of texture (i.e., surface roughness) allows the retention of the dielectric strength of insulators. In this work, through a series of systematic experiments and analysis, it is concluded that porous superhydrophobic coatings rather than rough monolithic superhydrophobic surfaces allow the retention of dielectric strength of insulators under wet conditions in spite of the surface roughness. The insights from this work can enable the design of electrical insulators with improved performance and increased longevity.
The variational approximation for 2‐dimension solitons at cubic‐quintic nonlinearity in quasiperiodic potentials
Authors: Burlak Gennadiy , Monroy‐Villa Ricardo
Published: July 2018

We apply the variational approximation to study the dynamics of solitary waves of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with compensative cubic‐quintic nonlinearity for asymmetric 2‐dimension setup. Such an approach allows to study the behavior of the solitons trapped in quasisymmetric potentials without an axial symmetry. Our analytical consideration allows finding the soliton profiles that are stable in a quasisymmetric geometry. We show that small perturbations of such states lead to generation of the oscillatory‐bounded solutions having 2 independent eigenfrequencies relating to the quintic nonlinear parameter. The behavior of solutions with large amplitudes is studied numerically. The resonant case when the frequency of the time variations (time managed) potential is near of the eigenfrequencies is studied too. In a resonant situation, the solitons acquire a weak time decay.
Effect of Home Enteral Nutrition on Diabetes and Its Management
Authors: Vallumsetla Nishanth , Epp Lisa , Hurt Ryan T. , Mundi Manpreet S.
Published: July 2018

Background

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is estimated to affect 9% of Americans and is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and increased healthcare costs.

Methods

A retrospective review of a home enteral nutrition (HEN) database of patients seen between March 1, 2004, and April 31, 2014, at our institution was conducted to identify HEN patients who had a diagnosis of DM or were diagnosed within the acute period (4 months) of starting HEN therapy.

Results

174 (3.7%) of 4682 patients in the HEN program had DM. HEN was provided through a gastrostomy tube in 82 patients and through a jejunostomy tube in 92 patients. At 3 months, data were available for 42 gastrostomy patients; 44% had a change in DM management, with 60% undergoing a change to insulin. Similarly, 34 patients with jejunostomy had data available, with 41% undergoing change in medication and 93% being changed to insulin therapy. For patients with available glycated hemogloblin values, at 3 months the gastrostomy patients noted a decrease of 0.5% (7.3% ± 1.1% to 6.8% ± 0.7%, not significant) and the jejunostomy patients noted a decrease of 0.4% (6.9% ± 0.9% to 6.5% ± 1.1%, P = .06). Conclusions: Overall, our results suggest that closer follow‐up and laboratory assessment are necessary for management of HEN patients with DM. In those with data available, glycemic control can be maintained in patients receiving HEN with appropriate adjustment of DM management and focus on ensuring that patients are not overfed.
Neonatal Extracorporeal Life Support: A Review of Nutrition Considerations
Authors: Murphy Heidi J. , Finch Carolyn W. , Taylor Sarah N.
Published: July 2018

Critically ill neonates who require extracorporeal life support have particular nutrition needs. These infants require prescription of aggressive, early nutrition support by knowledge providers. Understanding the unique metabolic demands and nutrition requirements of these fragile patients is paramount, particularly if additional therapies such as aggressive diuretic regimens or continuous renal replacement therapy are used concurrently. Although the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition has published guidelines for this population, a review of each nutrition component is warranted because few studies exist specific to this population. Long‐term complications in survivors of neonatal extracorporeal life support, particularly in patients with select diagnoses such as congenital diaphragmatic hernia, can be significant and must be recognized and anticipated. This review focuses on recognizing the nutrition needs of neonatal patients requiring extracorporeal life support, appraising the available data to guide selection of an appropriate mode of nutrition delivery, and describing the anticipated long‐term nutrition implications of extracorporeal life support provision during the neonatal period.
Multigrid for model reduction of power grid networks
Authors: Lee B.
Published: July 2018

This paper presents a method for determining the relevant buses for reduced models of power grid networks described by systems of differential‐algebraic equations and for constructing the coarse‐grain dynamical power grid systems. To determine these buses, time integration of differential equations is not needed, but rather, a stationary system is analyzed. However, unlike stationary‐system approaches that determine only coarse generator buses by approximating the coherency of the generators, the proposed method analyzes the graph Laplacian associated with the admittance matrix. The buses for the reduced model are chosen to ensure that the graph Laplacian of the reduced model is an accurate approximation to the graph Laplacian of the full system. Both load and generator buses can be selected by this procedure since the Laplacian is defined on all the buses. The basis of this proposed approach lies in the close relationship between the synchrony of the system and the spectral properties of this Laplacian, that is, conditions on the spectrum of this Laplacian that almost surely guarantee the synchrony of the system. Thus, assuming that the full system is in synchrony, our strategy is to coarsen the full‐system Laplacian such that the coarse Laplacian possesses good approximation to these spectral conditions. Accurate approximation to these conditions then can better lead to synchronous reduced models. The coarsened Laplacian is defined on coarse degrees of freedom (DOFs), which are associated with the relevant buses to include in the reduced model. To realize this coarse DOF selection, we use multigrid coarsening techniques based on compatible relaxation. Multigrid is the natural choice since it has been extensively used to coarsen Laplacians arising from discretizations of elliptic partial differential equations and is actively being extended to graph Laplacians. With the selection of the buses for the reduced model, the reduced model is completed by constructing the coarse admittance matrix values and other physical parameters using standard power grid techniques or by using the intergrid operators constructed in the coarse DOFs selection process. Unfortunately, the selection of the coarse buses and the coarsening of the admittance matrix and physical parameters are not sufficient by themselves to produce a stable reduced system. To achieve a stable system, system structures of the fine‐grain model must be preserved in the reduced model. We analyze this to develop a multigrid methodology for constructing stable reduced models of power grid systems. Numerical examples are presented to validate this methodology.
Over 50 % 1H and 13C Polarization for Generating Hyperpolarized Metabolites—A para‐Hydrogen Approach
Authors: Korchak Sergey , Mamone Salvatore , Glöggler Stefan
Published: July 2018

para‐Hydrogen‐induced polarization (PHIP) is a method to rapidly generate hyperpolarized compounds, enhancing the signal of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments by several thousand‐fold. The hyperpolarization of metabolites and their use as contrast agents in vivo is an emerging diagnostic technique. High degrees of polarization and extended polarization lifetime are necessary requirements for the detection of metabolites in vivo. Here, we present pulsed NMR methods for obtaining hyperpolarized magnetization in two metabolites. We demonstrate that the hydrogenation with para‐hydrogen of perdeuterated vinyl acetate allows us to create hyperpolarized ethyl acetate with close to 60 % 1H two‐spin order. With nearly 100 % efficiency, this order can either be transferred to 1H in‐phase magnetization or 13C magnetization of the carbonyl function. Close to 60 % polarization is experimentally verified for both nuclei. Cleavage of the ethyl acetate precursor in a 20 s reaction yields ethanol with approximately 27 % 1H polarization and acetate with around 20 % 13C polarization. This development will open new opportunities to generate metabolic contrast agents in less than one minute.
Synthesis of silica/PAA NPs via combining RAFT polymerization and thiol‐ene click reaction and postpolymerization modifications with arsenazo (III)
Authors: Ettehadi Gargari Jafar , Sid Kalal Hossein , Niknafs Danial , Khanchi Alireza
Published: July 2018

Silica/poly(acrylic acid)/arsenazo core‐shell nanoparticles were synthesized by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization combined with thiol‐ene grafting method. Thiol‐terminated poly(acrylic acid) (PAA‐SH) was prepared by RAFT polymerization of the acrylic acid using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) initiator. The molecular weight and structure of this polymer were characterized by gel permeation chromatography and Fourier transform infrared. Methacrylate‐functionalized silica nanoparticles (MPS‐silica NPs) were prepared by the functionalization of silica nanoparticles with 3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate in dried toluene. PAA‐SH was coupled to MPS‐silica NPs by click reaction in the presence of AIBN. The chemical nature and structure of product were characterized by a multitechnique approach. The prepared particles consist of silica cores, about 45 nm in size, surrounded by stable PAA shells. Furthermore, after conversion of arsenazo (III) to arsenazoNH2, it was successfully clicked on the surface of PAA shell. It is realized that the postpolymerization kinetics can be tuned by several parameters such as the temperature of reaction medium and concentration of arsenazoNH2. These nanoparticles could be useful in sensor and indicator applications due to the interesting properties that arsenazo has against specific metal ions. Furthermore, the described results give new insights in the synthesis and characterization of silica polymer core‐shell nanoparticles.
Surface modification of α‐zirconium phosphate by zeolitic imidazolate frameworks‐8 and its effect on improving the fire safety of polyurethane elastomer
Authors: Xu Baoling , Xu Wenzong , Liu Yucheng , Chen Rui , Li Wu , Wu Yun , Yang Zuotang
Published: July 2018

A novel type of ZIF‐8/α‐ZrP (zeolitic imidazolate frameworks‐8/α‐zirconium phosphate) hybrid was obtained through surface modification of α‐ZrP by ZIF‐8 and was characterized. Subsequently, ZIF‐8/α‐ZrP was added to polyurethane elastomer (PUE) by simple blending, and the thermal behavior, flame retardancy, and smoke suppression properties of the ZIF‐8/α‐ZrP hybrid on PUE were studied. Compared with pure PUE, the test results showed that the char yield of the ZIF‐8/α‐ZrP/PUE composite at 700°C and its Tg values were increased, respectively. The peak heat release rate and total heat release of the ZIF‐8/α‐ZrP/PUE composite decreased by 69.6% and 45.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, its smoke production rate and total smoke production decreased by 59.3% and 40.5%, respectively. The improved flame retardancy and smoke suppression were primarily ascribed to the physical barrier and catalytic carbonization effects of α‐ZrP. Furthermore, the metal oxide decomposed by ZIF‐8 could further facilitate the production of char residue and raise the compactness of the char layer.
Comparative out‐of‐hospital mortality of long‐acting opioids prescribed for non‐cancer pain: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Chung Cecilia P. , Dupont William D. , Murray Katherine T. , Hall Kathi , Stein C. Michael , Ray Wayne A.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Despite significant growth of opioid prescriptions, only limited data are available regarding the comparative safety of long‐acting opioids for chronic non‐cancer pain. Recent data suggest that transdermal fentanyl and oxycodone CR may have greater toxicity than morphine SR in patients with non‐cancer pain. Thus, we compared the risk of out‐of‐hospital deaths in patients with non‐cancer pain filling prescriptions for transdermal fentanyl or oxycodone CR with that for morphine SR.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in 50 658 patients enrolled in Tennessee Medicaid who filled prescriptions for transdermal fentanyl (n = 8717), oxycodone CR (n = 14 118), or morphine SR (n = 27 823) between 1999 and 2011. We excluded individuals with cancer or other life‐threatening diagnoses and used propensity scores to adjust for multiple potential confounders. The primary outcome was out‐of‐hospital mortality.

Results

During 44 385 person‐years of follow‐up, 689 patients died. The out‐of‐hospital mortality rate among all study subjects was 155/10 000 patient‐years. Contrary to earlier data suggesting greater risk, mortality was not significantly different in patients filling prescriptions for transdermal fentanyl compared with morphine SR (adjusted HR = 0.96, 95% C.I.: 0.77‐1.21); moreover, patients filling prescriptions for oxycodone CR had lower mortality risk compared with those filling prescriptions for morphine SR (adjusted HR = 0.79, 95% C.I. 0.66‐0.95).

Conclusion

In the study population, long‐acting opioids for non‐cancer pain were associated with high out‐of‐hospital mortality rates. We found comparable out‐of‐hospital mortality risks associated with transdermal fentanyl and morphine SR. The risk of out‐of‐hospital death for oxycodone CR was lower than that for morphine SR.
Fast scanning chip calorimetry study of P3HT/PC61BM submicron layers: structure formation and eutectic behaviour
Authors: Van den Brande Niko , Van Assche Guy , Van Mele Bruno
Published: July 2018

Fast scanning chip calorimetry was used to perform an elaborate isothermal study of poly(3‐hexyl thiophene)/[6,6]‐phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT/PC61BM) submicron layers. The used scanning rates of 30 000 K s−1 allow for a ‘true’ isothermal study, where non‐isothermal effects are avoided. Results were obtained over a wide temperature range for the 1:1 composition, used in organic solar cells, and for selected temperatures for the 3:7 composition. The results can be clearly interpreted according to the eutectic behaviour expected for this system, with the 1:1 composition being enriched in P3HT and the 3:7 composition being enriched in PC61BM. In both cases, the start of the melting trajectory corresponding to the eutectic transition coincided with the Tg of PC61BM. This is in agreement with earlier studies that report a vitrification effect caused by PC61BM. A bell‐shaped curve of isothermal crystallization rates could be constructed for the 1:1 composition, where the Tg of the mixed amorphous phase as well as of the separate components can be seen to play a role. For the 3:7 composition, clear indications are observed that a vitrified PC61BM phase can be formed in which isothermal crystallization takes place. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Solution‐processed ZnO as the efficient passivation and electron selective layer of silicon solar cells
Authors: Ding Jiangnan , Zhou Yurong , Dong Gangqiang , Liu Ming , Yu Donghong , Liu Fengzhen
Published: July 2018

Solution‐processed intrinsic ZnO and Al‐doped ZnO (ZnO:Al) were spin coated on textured n‐type c‐Si wafer to replace the phosphorus‐doped amorphous silicon as the electron selective transport layer (ESTL) of the Si heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. Besides the function of electron selective transportation, the nondoped ZnO was found to possess certain passivation effect on c‐Si wafer. The SHJ solar cells with different combinations of passivation layer (intrinsic a‐Si:H, SiOx, and nondoped ZnO) and electron transport layer (nondoped ZnO and ZnO:Al) were fabricated and compared. An efficiency up to 18.46% was achieved on a SHJ solar cell with an a‐Si:H/ZnO:Al double layer back structure. And, all the solution‐processed nondoped ZnO/ZnO:Al combination layers present fairly good electron selective transportation property for SHJ solar cell, resulting in an efficiency of 17.13%. The carrier transport based on energy band diagrams of the rear side of the solar cells has been discussed related to the performance of the SHJ solar cells.
Evaluating and predicting molecular mechanisms of adhesive degradation during field and accelerated aging of photovoltaic modules
Authors: Tracy Jared , D'hooge Dagmar R. , Bosco Nick , Delgado Chris , Dauskardt Reinhold
Published: July 2018

Extending photovoltaic (PV) module lifetimes beyond 30 years is a goal of significant priority. A challenge that must first be addressed, however, is the development of a predictive reliability model that captures the synergy of terrestrial stressors on module degradation, particularly at encapsulant interfaces. Using a metrology designed specifically for PV modules, a comprehensive study of the widely used ethylene vinyl acetate encapsulant was performed in which encapsulant adhesion was evaluated as a function of environmental stressors (UV exposure, temperature, and humidity) for modules aged both under accelerated lab and internationally located field conditions for months to nearly 3 decades. Mechanical and chemical characterization methods are combined with fundamental polymer reaction engineering to unravel the degradation processes active at the molecular scale that lead to encapsulant delamination. An analytical and modular model framework is put forward enabling the prediction of long‐term PV module durability, starting from fundamental principles at the molecular level and explicitly accounting for bond rupture events in the bulk encapsulant and at the encapsulant interfaces. Successful parameter tuning to adhesion data indicates a dominant occurrence of deacetylation,β‐scission, and hydrolytic depolymerization, respectively. The model contributes to the longstanding challenge of predicting module lifetimes in any geographic location while minimizing time‐consuming and costly aging studies.
Singular Perturbation Theory for the Thermodynamic Properties of Holographic QCD
Authors: Megías Eugenio , Valle Manuel
Published: July 2018

We explore the thermodynamics of a black‐hole solution in improved holographic QCD with a simple dilaton potential having two parameters. By applying techniques of singular perturbation theory, we get uniform approximations for the metric and the dilaton field in the two regimes of big and small black‐holes. These techniques lead to a resummation of the naive expansion at high temperatures, providing a good fit to lattice data for the trace anomaly at high temperature. It is provided as well an estimate of the value of the gluon condensate at zero temperature which turns out to be in quite good agreement with the accepted values in the literature from phenomenological studies of QCD.
Heating Causes Nonlinear Microwave Absorption Anomaly in Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Márkus Bence G. , Gyüre‐Garami Balázs , Sági Olivér , Csősz Gábor , Karsa Anita , Márkus Ferenc , Simon Ferenc
Published: July 2018

Microwave impedance measurements indicate a nonlinear absorption anomaly in single‐walled carbon nanotubes at low temperatures (below 20 K). We investigate the nature of the anomaly using a time resolved microwave impedance measurement technique. It proves that the anomaly has an extremely slow, a few hundred second long dynamics. This strongly suggests that the anomaly is not caused by an intrinsic electronic effect and that it is rather due to a slow heat exchange between the sample and the environment.
Clustering functional data streams: Unsupervised classification of soccer top players based on Google trends
Authors: Fortuna Francesca , Maturo Fabrizio , Di Battista Tonio
Published: July 2018

Nowadays, football teams have become large companies, which produce very high incomes, and the induced gain that may arise from purchasing notorious players has become a crucial aspect for their commercial strategies. The interest for a player is not only exclusively tied to his technical skills but also to other factors, which may attract people not only interested in football. Because soccer has become a fact of life for many supporters, the attention paid to football players is also reflected in the internet traffic. For this reason, the analysis of web data nowadays is a central issue for monitoring players' notoriety and catching information about marketing strategies. This paper aims to provide an original methodological approach for the analysis of web data using the functional data analysis approach. The main advantages of the proposal are the drastic dimensionality reduction of the data and the use of functional tools for obtaining additional information about data. Specifically, in this study, we focus on the problem of clustering data streams using the k‐means algorithm and 3 different semimetrics based on the functional principal components decomposition, first and second derivatives, respectively. An application to a real data set regarding Google queries of 24 football players is proposed for illustrating the method. The final aim of this research is provide scholars, practitioners, football clubs, and agencies interested in planning marketing strategies with additional tools for analyzing web data.