bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Volitional control of the upper esophageal sphincter with high‐resolution manometry driven biofeedback
Authors: Nativ‐Zeltzer Nogah , Belafsky Peter C. , Bayoumi Ahmed , Kuhn Maggie A. 
Published: February 2019

IntroductionDysfunction of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) is associated with swallow dysfunction and globus pharyngeus. Although volitional augmentation of the UES has been previously documented, the ability of individuals to control UES pressure with high‐resolution manometry (HRM) driven biofeedback has not been assessed.PurposeTo evaluate the ability of patient driven HRM biofeedback to control UES basal pressure.MethodsHRM data was collected from 10 patients undergoing esophageal manometry. Participants were trained on real‐time HRM‐driven biofeedback to both elevate and reduce UES pressure. Measures of baseline UES minimum, mean and maximum pressures (mmHg) were compared to biofeedback‐driven volitional increases and decreases in UES pressures. Pre‐ and post‐biofeedback data were compared with paired sample T‐tests.ResultsThe mean age (± standard deviation) of the cohort was 68 (±12.7) years. Sixty percent (6/10) were female. The mean UES baseline pressure increased from 30.1 (±15.3) mmHg to 44.8 (±25.03) mmHg (P = .02) with biofeedback‐driven UES augmentation (P < .05). Maximum UES pressures were also increased from 63.84 (±24.1) mmHg to 152.4 (±123.7) (P = .04). Although some individuals were able to successfully decrease basal UES tone with the HRM biofeedback, no statistically significant group differences were observed (P > .05).ConclusionVolitional control of UES pressure is possible with HRM‐driven biofeedback. Patients vary in their ability to intentionally control UES pressure and some may require further training aimed at lowering UES pressure with HRM‐guided biofeedback. These data may have significant implications for the future treatment of UES disorders and warrant further investigation.Level of Evidence4
Impact of ocean acidification and high solar radiation on productivity and species composition of a late summer phytoplankton community of the coastal Western Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: Heiden Jasmin P. , Völkner Christian , Jones Elizabeth M. , van de Poll Willem H. , Buma Anita G. J. , Meredith Michael P. , de Baar Hein J. W. , Bischof Kai , Wolf‐Gladrow Dieter , Trimborn Scarlett 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), one of the most productive regions of the Southern Ocean, is currently undergoing rapid environmental changes such as ocean acidification (OA) and increased daily irradiances from enhanced surface‐water stratification. To assess the potential for future biological CO2 sequestration of this region, we incubated a natural phytoplankton assemblage from Ryder Bay, WAP, under a range of pCO2 levels (180 μatm, 450 μatm, and 1000 μatm) combined with either moderate or high natural solar radiation (MSR: 124 μmol photons m−2 s−1 and HSR: 435 μmol photons m−2 s−1, respectively). The initial and final phytoplankton communities were numerically dominated by the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis antarctica, with the single cells initially being predominant and solitary and colonial cells reaching similar high abundances by the end. Only when communities were grown under ambient pCO2 in conjunction with HSR did the small diatom Fragilariopsis pseudonana outcompete P. antarctica at the end of the experiment. Such positive light‐dependent growth response of the diatom was, however, dampened by OA. These changes in community composition were caused by an enhanced photosensitivity of diatoms, especially F. pseudonana, under OA and HSR, reducing thereby their competitiveness toward P. antarctica. Moreover, community primary production (PP) of all treatments yielded similar high rates at the start and the end of the experiment, but with the main contributors shifting from initially large to small cells toward the end. Even though community PP of Ryder Bay phytoplankton was insensitive to the changes in light and CO2 availability, the observed size‐dependent shift in productivity could, however, weaken the biological CO2 sequestration potential of this region in the future.
Mussel‐Inspired Membrane Adsorber with Thiol Ligand for Patulin Removal: Adsorption and Regeneration Behaviors
Authors: Liu Lanfang , Luo Jianquan , Wan Yinhua , Chen Xiangrong , Wu Yuanpeng 
Published: February 2019

AbstractMussel‐inspired membrane adsorber with thiol ligand (SH‐membrane adsorber) is prepared by polydopamine‐assisted poly(ethylene imine) grafting and subsequent thiolation modification for efficient removal of patulin. The effects of temperature, contact time, pH, and initial patulin concentration on the adsorption capacity of the membrane adsorber are investigated. The results show that the SH‐membrane adsorber is effective to remove patulin. The adsorption capacity of the membrane can reach 1245.11 µg g−1 for patulin. In static adsorption tests, the adsorption kinetic and equilibrium data are well fitted by the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm model, respectively, meaning that the adsorption process is a multilayer chemical adsorption. The SH‐membrane adsorber can be recovered by l‐cysteine, and the removal efficiency of patulin is maintained at about 89.23% after eight reuse cycles, compared to the 17.33% of control membrane. These results demonstrate that the SH‐membrane adsorber has a potential application for patulin removal.
The Trimerization of Isocyanate‐Functionalized Prepolymers: An Effective Method for Synthesizing Well‐Defined Polymer Networks
Authors: Driest Piet J. , Dijkstra Dirk J. , Stamatialis Dimitrios , Grijpma Dirk W. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractFor the study of polymer networks, having access to polymer networks with a controlled and well‐defined microscopic network structure is of great importance. However, typically, such networks are difficult to synthesize. In this work, a simple, effective, and widely applicable method is presented for synthesizing polymer networks with a well‐defined network structure. This is done by the functionalization of polymeric diols using a diisocyanate, and their subsequent trimerization. Using hexamethylene diisocyanate and hydroxyl‐group‐terminated poly(ε‐caprolactone) and poly(ethylene glycol), it is shown that both hydrophobic and hydrophilic poly(urethane–isocyanurate) networks with a well‐defined network structure can readily be synthesized. By using in situ infrared spectroscopy, it is shown that the trimerization of isocyanate endgroups is clearly the predominant reaction pathway of network formation, supporting the proposed mechanism and network structure. The resulting networks possess excellent mechanical properties in both the dry and in the wet state.
Application of an Iterative Fragment Selection (IFS) Method to Estimate Entropies of Fusion and Melting Points of Organic Chemicals
Authors: Brown Trevor N. , Armitage James M. , Arnot Jon A. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe main objective of this study is to develop and evaluate novel Quantitative Structure‐Property Relationships (QSPRs) for predicting entropy of fusion (ΔSM) and melting point (TM) of organic chemicals from chemical structure. The QSPRs are developed using the Iterative Fragment Selection (IFS) method that requires only 2D structural information from the user (SMILES codes) for property prediction. The QSPRs also provide information on the applicability domain for each calculation and uncertainty estimates for the predictions. The root mean square error (RMSE) for the external validation sets are 11.8 J mol−1 K−1 and 46.9 K for the ΔSM and TM QSPRs, respectively. The performance of the new QSPRs is comparable to other predictive methods but has advantages with respect to availability and ease of use as well as the guidance on applicability domain for each prediction. Limitations of the new QSPRs are discussed. The QSPRs are coded as a user‐friendly, freely available tool.
Factors Explaining Interpersonal Variation in Plasma Enterolactone Concentrations in Humans
Authors: Hålldin Elin , Eriksen Anne Kirstine , Brunius Carl , da Silva Andreia Bento , Bronze Maria , Hanhineva Kati , Aura Anna‐Marja , Landberg Rikard 
Published: February 2019

AbstractLignans are diphenolic plant compounds with potential health modulating properties that are absorbed to the circulation and metabolized to the enterolignans enterodiol (END) and enterolactone (ENL) by gut microbiota. Epidemiological studies have inconsistently shown that a high lignan intake and circulating ENL are associated with reduced risk of breast‐, prostate‐, and colorectal cancer as well as cardiovascular disease and total and cause‐specific mortality. Inconsistencies can be due to interpersonal variation of ENL formation or responses. The aim of this review is to identify and evaluate the impact of factors influencing variability in plasma concentrations of the main enterolignan, ENL. The main determinants of plasma ENL concentrations are intake of lignan and lignan‐rich foods, composition and activity of intestinal microflora, antimicrobial use, nutrient intake, BMI, smoking, sex, and age. Composition and activity of the intestinal microbiota appear to be the most critical factor governing interpersonal variability in plasma ENL concentration followed by the use of antibiotics. Future studies with combined data from gut microbiota and metabolomics with food intake and life style data can be used to estimate the relative contribution of the different factors to ENL concentration in quantitative terms.
Treatment of Caenorhabditis elegans with Small Selenium Species Enhances Antioxidant Defense Systems
Authors: Rohn Isabelle , Raschke Stefanie , Aschner Michael , Tuck Simon , Kuehnelt Doris , Kipp Anna , Schwerdtle Tanja , Bornhorst Julia 
Published: February 2019

ScopeSmall selenium (Se) species play a key role in Se metabolism and act as dietary sources of the essential trace element. However, they are redox‐active and trigger pro‐ and antioxidant responses. As health outcomes are strongly species‐dependent, species‐specific characteristics of Se compounds are tested in vivo.Methods and resultsIn the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), immediate and sustained effects of selenite, selenomethionine (SeMet), and Se‐methylselenocysteine (MeSeCys) are studied regarding their bioavailability, incorporation into proteins, as well as modulation of the cellular redox status. While all tested Se compounds are bioavailable, only SeMet persistently accumulates and is non‐specifically incorporated into proteins. However, the protection toward chemically‐induced formation of reactive species is independent of the applied Se compound. Increased thioredoxin reductase (TXNRD) activity and changes in mRNA expression levels of antioxidant proteins indicate the activation of cellular defense mechanisms. However, in txnrd‐1 deletion mutants, no protective effects of the Se species are observed anymore, which is also reflected by differential gene expression data.ConclusionSe species protect against chemically‐induced reactive species formation. The identified immediate and sustained systemic effects of Se species give rise to speculations on possible benefits facing subsequent periods of inadequate Se intake.
Highly directive 3D‐printed dual‐beam waveguide slotted antennas for millimeter‐wave applications
Authors: Sabri Muataz Watheq , Murad Noor Asniza , Rahim Mohamad Kamal A. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractA highly directive 3D‐printed dual beam waveguide slotted antennas designed at 28 GHz are presented in this work. By having dual‐beam directional pattern, the coverage area can be doubled. The performance of dual‐beam waveguide slotted antennas is investigated with new metal 3D printing technique. The slots are basically designed at half wavelength dimension and distance with symmetrical and asymmetrical offset to form different phase radiations. The longitudinal slotted arrays are implemented on both side of the waveguide broad walls, thus enabling the dual beams on the antenna. The proposed antennas are simulated using computer simulation technology software and fully metal printed using EOS M280 machine. The simulated performance is validated experimentally using network analyzer measurement. The dimensional tolerance and surface roughness are profiled in this work. A good match better than 10 dB is achieved. The antennas are proposed for three‐dimensional beamforming in millimetre wave applications.
Psychosocial associations of emotion‐regulation strategies in young adults residing in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Azhar Humna , Baig Zahra , Koleth Shihab , Mohammad Kausar , Petkari Eleni 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe management and expression of emotions can have a positive impact on psychological health and overall functioning. Thus, it is crucial to focus on the study of emotion regulation and the strategies young adults employ to achieve it, namely cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, as well as their associations with the long neglected psychosocial factors. The current study aimed at exploring the associations between psychosocial factors and the two emotion‐regulation strategies, after controlling for potential sociodemographic confounders. This study used a sample of 136 participants from the Indian subcontinent living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, aged 18–25 years, who completed instruments measuring social anxiety, social support, and parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive) as well as the use of the emotion‐regulation strategies of suppression and reappraisal. The results indicated that having experienced authoritarian parenting and perceiving low social support were associated with the use of suppression, while having experienced authoritative parenting and low levels of social anxiety were associated with the use of emotional reappraisal. Our study provides evidence on the importance of psychosocial factors for the use of emotion‐regulation strategies and suggests their modification for the promotion of adaptive ways of managing emotions.
Kinetic study of ninhydrin with chromium (III)‐glycylleucine in aqueous–alkanediyl‐α,ω‐bis (dimethylcetylammonium bromide) gemini surfactants
Authors: Kumar Dileep , Rub Malik Abdul 
Published: February 2019

AbstractIn this article, we report kinetic study of ninhydrin with chromium (III)‐glycylleucine complex in aqueous–alkanediyl‐α,ω‐bis (dimethylcetylammonium bromide) gemini surfactants at different temperatures and pH. The experiments were monitored by using UV‐visible spectrophotometer. The study was run by maintaining pseudo‐first‐order condition ([ninhydrin] > > [Cr (III)‐Gly‐Leu]2+). Reactions were respective fractional‐ and first‐order paths, in ninhydrin and chromium‐glycylleucine complex. Conductometric technique has been used for critical micelle concentration (cmc) determination of 16‐s‐16 (spacer [s] = 4, 5, 6) gemini surfactants. Alkanediyl‐α,ω‐bis (dimethylcetylammonium bromide) surfactants were observed more effective on the study as compared with traditional monocationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). With geminis, rate constant, kψ, rises up first (below cmc, part I) and becomes approximately fix (part II). In part III, kψ intensifies more at higher concentrations of gemini surfactants. The variation in rate in the presence of geminis has been elucidated by pseudo phase model.
Sensitivity of Al‐PTFE upon Low‐Speed Impact
Authors: Feng Bin , Qiu Cong‐li , Zhang Tao‐hong , Hu Ya‐Feng , Li Hong‐guang , Xu Bing‐chuan 
Published: February 2019

AbstractAl‐PTFE (Aluminum‐Polytetrafluoroethylene) is a promising composite as a kind of impact initiated energetic materials. The impact sensitivity of Al‐PTFE was characterized by drop weight tests. By varying the sintering temperature, Al mass ratio and Al particle size, the sensitivity of Al‐PTFE changes significantly from 25.78 J to 87.34 J. It was found that in general Al‐PTFE specimens with higher strength tend to be more sensitive to low‐speed impact. The SHPB test was carried out on the baseline Al‐PTFE specimen, and the stress ignition threshold was found to be 116 MPa, which is not high enough to trigger a shock‐induced reaction (SIR). Moreover, multiple evidences, including the high‐speed camera records, prove that crack‐induced ignition mechanism, rather than SIR, dominates the ignition of Al‐PTFE upon low speed impact.
Theoretical scrutinization of nine benzoic acid dimers: Stability and energy decomposition analysis
Authors: Petrović Ivana , Milovanović Branislav , Etinski Mihajlo , Petković Milena 
Published: February 2019

AbstractAromatic carboxylic acids are able to form diverse dimers and multimers due to their hydrogen bond donor and acceptor cites, as well as the aromatic rings. In this work, we examine nine benzoic acid dimers stabilized by hydrogen bonding and stacking interactions. Interacting quantum atoms methodology revealed that dominant attractive interactions in all of them, including hydrogen bonded systems, are due to exchange‐correlation. Coulomb interactions are significant only in the most stable dimer with a double hydrogen bond, although the corresponding energy term is almost two times lower compared to the nonclassical one. Since interacting quantum atoms approach treats monomers binding by considering electronic energy only, in order to examine dissociation kinetics we performed density functional theory‐based molecular dynamics simulations of selected stacked dimers: in 40% of the studied systems at 300 K thermal energy was sufficient to overpower barrier for dissociation within 1 ps, which resulted in the separation of the monomers, whereas 20% of them remained in the stacked position even after 5 ps. These results highlight the importance of noncovalent interactions, particularly weak stacking interactions, on the structure and dynamics of carboxylic acids and their derivatives.
Aromatic character of Oh‐C24N24. A cavernous nitride fullerene bearing N4‐macrocycle motifs
Authors: Charistos Nickolas D. , Jin Peng , Muñoz‐Castro Alvaro 
Published: February 2019

ABSTRACTSpherical fullerenes offer noteworthy structures usually involving six‐ and five‐membered faces, with application in technological issues. In this sense, cavernous spherical‐like structures bearing larger holes provide interesting examples for further understanding of structure‐properties relationship. Here, we explored the magnetic response of a proposed cavernous nitride fullerene, C24N24, which has a Oh‐symmetry with six N4‐macrocyclic and eight 1,3,5‐triazine faces displaying 48‐π electrons. C24N24 exhibits a local aromatic behavior owing to the contrasting antiaromatic response of the N4‐macrocyclic faces and the aromatic character of the 1,3,5‐triazine faces. Thus, the overall structure is ascribed as a local aromatic species, where the triazine faces exhibit the characteristic shielding cone for aromatic rings. Furthermore, the constructive combination of local shielding cones in C24N24 delivers a related shielding‐cone response, as expected for a perfect aromatic cage. Hence, the local aromatic/nonaromatic/antiaromatic sections exhibit an additive or subtractive interaction, leading to a characteristic response inherent to the nature of the spherical cage. We expect that further study of the interplay between different aromatic and antiaromatic faces in fullerene‐like cages can deliver interesting pseudo‐aromatic or pseudo‐antiaromatic spherical species.
Can Biological Quantum Networks Solve NP‐Hard Problems?
Authors: Wendin Göran 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThere is a widespread view that the human brain is so complex that it cannot be efficiently simulated by universal Turing machines, let alone ordinary classical computers. During the last decades the question has therefore been raised whether it is needed to consider quantum effects to explain the imagined cognitive power of a conscious mind. Not surprisingly, the conclusion is that quantum‐enhanced cognition and intelligence are very unlikely to be found in biological brains. Quantum effects may certainly influence signaling pathways at the molecular level in the brain network, like ion ports, synapses, sensors, and enzymes. This might evidently influence the functionality of some nodes and perhaps even the overall intelligence of the brain network, but hardly give it any dramatically enhanced functionality. The conclusion is that biological quantum networks can only approximately solve small instances of nonpolynomial (NP)‐hard problems. On the other hand, artificial intelligence and machine learning implemented in complex dynamical systems based on genuine quantum networks can certainly be expected to show enhanced performance and quantum advantage compared with classical networks. Nevertheless, even quantum networks can only be expected to solve NP‐hard problems approximately. In the end it is a question of precision—Nature is approximate.
SDSN@RT: A middleware environment for single‐instance multitenant cloud applications
Authors: Kumara Indika , Han Jun , Colman Alan , van den Heuvel Willem‐Jan , Tamburri Damian A. , Kapuruge Malinda 
Published: February 2019

SummaryWith the single‐instance multitenancy (SIMT) model for composite Software‐as‐a‐Service (SaaS) applications, a single composite application instance can host multiple tenants, yielding the benefits of better service and resource utilization and reduced operational cost for the SaaS provider. An SIMT application needs to share services and their aggregation (the application) among its tenants while supporting variations in the functional and performance requirements of the tenants. The SaaS provider requires a middleware environment that can deploy, enact, and manage a designed SIMT application, to achieve the varied requirements of the different tenants in a controlled manner. This paper presents the SDSN@RT (software‐defined service networks at runtime) middleware environment that can meet the aforementioned requirements. SDSN@RT represents an SIMT composite cloud application as a multitenant service network, where the same service network simultaneously hosts a set of virtual service networks, one for each tenant. A service network connects a set of services and coordinates the interactions between them. A virtual service network realizes the requirements for a specific tenant and can be deployed, configured, and logically isolated in the service network at runtime. SDSN@RT also supports the monitoring and runtime changes of the deployed multitenant service networks. We show the feasibility of SDSN@RT with a prototype implementation and demonstrate its capabilities to host SIMT applications and support their changes with a case study. The performance study of the prototype implementation shows that the runtime capabilities of our middleware incur little overhead.
Mapping Languages and Literacies With Multilingual Students in Australian Classrooms
Authors: D'warte Jacqueline 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe International Literacy Association is a global advocacy organization, and literacy is viewed as a human right worldwide. This department highlights research and research‐to‐practice at the international level to bring global best teaching practices to the forefront. Topics may include best practices for literacy instruction in Europe or other continents/countries, partnership and collaborative projects between international schools/teachers, and advocacy.