Morphology evolution during cooling of quiescent immiscible polymer blends: matrix crystallization effect on the dispersed phase coalescence

The influence of the matrix crystallization on the coalescence of the dispersed phase particles, in quiescent immiscible polymer blends, is a topic that is scientifically addressed scarcely. The coarsening of the phase structure that is induced by the matrix crystallizing domains was studied using the well-established system comprising a polypropylene and an ethylene–propylene rubber (PP/EPR blends). This subject is of great importance as the effectiveness in the toughening of PP is directly determined by the EPR particle size. Cooling experiments were commenced for resolving the correlation among the imposed cooling conditions, the formed matrix crystalline morphology, and the coalescence of the dispersed phase particles. A confirmation of the profound effect of the PP crystallization on the coalescence of EPR particles was undoubtedly obtained. The contribution of the crystallization to the coalescence of the dispersed phase particles is largest at a finite rate of cooling. A thorough discussion regarding the observed effects, encompassing a potential rejection or an engulfing of the dispersed phase particles by the growing crystallites, was undertaken.     

Surface modification of ion‐exchange membranes: Methods,characteristics, and performance

Considerable effort has been made to improve ion‐exchange membrane (IEM) properties in order to achieve better performance of IEM‐based processes in various applications. Surface modification is one of the effective ways to improve IEM properties. Various methods have been used to modify IEM surfaces, for example, plasma treatment, polymerization, solution casting, electrodeposition, and ion implantation. These methods are able to produce a thin and fine distributed layer and also to modify the chemical structure of the surface. The new layer can be adsorbed, deposited, or chemically bonded on a membrane surface. By using these methods, IEM properties are improved, and the desired or specific characteristics such as high monovalent ion permselectivity, low fuel crossover, and anti‐organic‐fouling property can be obtained. In this paper, methods for surface modification of IEMs are reviewed. Moreover, the effects of modification on IEM properties and performance are discussed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45540.     

Antioxidant Characteristics of Hops and Hop Products

The method based on the reaction of stable DPPH radical proved to be the best for the determination of antioxidant characteristics of hops and hop products. Antioxidant activity is expressed as the rate of decline in absorbance of the reaction environment and assessed in relative percents. Differences in the values of antioxidant activity were determined in Czech and foreign hop varieties. The highest antioxidant activities in the scope of 70 to 80% rel. were measured in Saaz and Spalter Select. Antioxidant activity in most of the varieties moved in the scope of 40 to 60% rel. A part of antioxidant activity of hops is irreversibly lost in the course of drying. The loss does not usually exceed 5% of the original RA_DPPH value. Drying also resulted in a decrease of polyphenol compound contents. Drying in belt and chamber kilns is comparable from the point of view of preserving hop antioxidant properties. Results of determination of antioxidant activity in hot water extracts of raw hops and ground hops were comparable and statistically non‐significant. The same held true for pelletizing of ground hops. The antioxidant activity of raw hops declined in the course of long‐term storage in dependence on storage temperature. Storage temperature had no effect on the antioxidant activity of the hop pellets packed in a multi‐layer foil without air access.     

The cost of lower self-esteem: Testing a self- and social-bonds model of health.

The authors draw upon social, personality, and health psychology to propose and test a self-and-social-bonds model of health. The model contends that lower self-esteem predicts health problems and that poor-quality social bonds explain this association. In Study 1, lower self-esteem prospectively predicted reports of health problems 2 months later, and this association was explained by subjective reports of poor social bonds. Study 2 replicated the results of Study 1 but used a longitudinal design with 6 waves of data collection, assessed self-reports of concrete health-related behaviors (i.e., number of visits to the doctor and classes missed due to illness), and measured both subjective and objective indicators of quality of social bonds (i.e., interpersonal stress and number of friends). In addition, Study 2 showed that poor-quality social bonds predicted acute drops in self-esteem over time, which in turn predicted acute decreases in quality of social bonds and, consequently, acute increases in health problems. In both studies, alternative explanations to the model were tested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does Every Inspection Really Need a Meeting?

Software review is a fundamental component of the software quality assurance process, yet significant controversies surround the most efficient and effective review method. A central question surrounds the use of meetings; traditional review practice views them as essential, while more recent findings question their utility. To provide insight into this question, we conducted a controlled experiment to assess several measures of cost and effectiveness for a meeting and non-meeting-based review method. The experiment used CSRS, a computer mediated collaborative software review environment, and 24 three person groups. We found that the meeting-based review method studied was significantly more costly than the non-meeting-based method, but that meeting-based review did not find significantly more defects than the non-meeting-based method. However, the meeting-based review method was significantly better at reducing the level of false positives, and subjects subjectively preferred meeting-based review over non-meeting-based review. This paper presents the motivation for this experiment, its design and implementation, our empirical findings, pointers to Internet repositories for replication or additional analysis of this experiment, conclusions, and future directions.     

Influence of Technological Processes on Biologically Active Compounds of Produced Grapes Juices

Grape juice quality can be substantially influenced by different processing methods and their parameters. This study deals with the influence of thermomaceration temperature and its holding time on important juice quality parameters such as the content of trans-resveratrol, trans-piceid, trans-ε-viniferin, and 2,4,6-trihydroxyphenantrene-2-O-glucoside. All the aforementioned compounds together with antioxidative capacity, total polyphenols, and antimutagenic activity were measured. This study used the following grapes: Blaufränkisch, Blaufränkisch bio, Saint Laurent, Grüner Veltliner, Grüner Veltliner bio, and Müller-Thurgau. For all tested grape varieties, the most important processing parameters were temperature and thermomaceration holding time. There were no significant differences in the content of the studied compounds. Three preservation technologies, freezing, bottle pasteurization, and high-pressure treatment, were also studied regarding the content of abovementioned biologically active compounds. Results of this study can be immediately applied to grape juice production.     

Acceptance is in the eye of the beholder: Self-esteem and motivated perceptions of acceptance from the opposite sex.

Social risk elicits self-esteem differences in signature social motivations and behaviors during the relationship-initiation process. In particular, the present research tested the hypothesis that lower self-esteem individuals' (LSEs) motivation to avoid rejection leads them to self-protectively underestimate acceptance from potential romantic partners, whereas higher self-esteem individuals' (HSEs) motivation to promote new relationships leads them to overestimate acceptance. The results of 5 experiments supported these predictions. Social risk increased activation of avoidance goals for LSEs on a word-recall task but increased activation of approach goals for HSEs, as evidenced by their increased use of likeable behaviors. Consistent with these patterns of goal activation, even though actual acceptance cues were held constant across all participants, social risk decreased the amount of acceptance that LSEs perceived from their interaction partner but increased the amount of acceptance that HSEs perceived from their interaction partner. It is important to note that such self-esteem differences in avoidance goals, approach behaviors, and perceptions of acceptance were completely eliminated when social risk was removed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The regulatory function of self-esteem: Testing the epistemic and acceptance signaling systems.

The authors draw on sociometer theory (e.g., Leary, 2004) and self-verification theory (e.g., Swann, 1997) to propose an expanded model of the regulatory function of self-esteem. The model suggests that people not only possess an acceptance signaling system that indicates whether relational value is high or low but also possess an epistemic signaling system that indicates whether social feedback is consistent or inconsistent with chronic perceived relational value (i.e., global self-esteem). One correlational study and 5 experiments, with diverse operationalizations of social feedback, demonstrated that the epistemic signaling system responds to self-esteem consistent or inconsistent relational-value feedback with increases or deceases in epistemic certainty. Moreover, Studies 3–6 demonstrated that the acceptance and epistemic signaling systems respond uniquely to social feedback. Finally, Studies 5 and 6 provide evidence that the epistemic signaling system is part of a broader self-regulatory system: Self-esteem inconsistent feedback caused cognitive efforts to decrease the discrepancy between self-views and feedback and caused depleted self-regulatory capacity on a subsequent self-control task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social acceptance and self-esteem: Tuning the sociometer to interpersonal value.

The authors draw on sociometer theory to propose that self-esteem is attuned to traits that garner others' acceptance, and the traits that garner acceptance depend on one's social role. Attunement of self-esteem refers to the linkage, or connection, between self-esteem and specific traits, which may be observed most clearly in the association between self-esteem and specific self-evaluations. In most roles, appearance and popularity determine acceptance, so self-esteem is most attuned to those traits. At the same time, interdependent social roles emphasize the value of communal qualities, so occupants of those roles have self-esteem that is more attuned to communal qualities than is the general norm. To avoid the biases of people's personal theories, the authors assessed attunement of self-esteem to particular traits indirectly via the correlation between self-esteem and self-ratings, cognitive accessibility measures, and an experiment involving social decision making. As hypothesized, self-esteem was generally more attuned to appearances than to communal qualities, but interdependent social roles predicted heightened attunement of self-esteem to qualities like kindness and understanding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)