The forking effect

This study introduces the concept of the forking effect in the cryptocurrency market,specifically focusing on the impact of forking events on bitcoin, also called parent coin.We use a modified exponential GARCH model to examine the bitcoin's response inreturns and volatility. Our findings reveal that forking events do not significantlyaffect the bitcoin's returns but have a strong positive impact on its volatility, especially when considering market dynamics. Our model accounts for key features likevolatility clustering and fat-tailed distributions. Additionally, we observe that following a fork event, volatility remains elevated for the next three days, regardless ofother forking events, and the volatility impact does not increase when multiple forksoccur simultaneously on the same day

Le comportement de « prise de parole » (voice) : validation de la version française de la mesure de Maynes et Podsakoff

La prise de parole est un comportement essentiel susceptible d’inhiber ou de générer des processus d’innovation et de changement organisationnel. À ce jour, peu d’échelles de mesure adaptées au contexte français et permettant d’analyser ce comportement existent. Cet article propose de traduire l’échelle de prise de parole en 4 facteurs de Maynes et Podsakoff (2014). La traduction de cette échelle a été testée par 4 études sur différents échantillons regroupant 1275 travailleurs français de milieux organisationnels divers. Tout d’abord, les premières études testent la fiabilité, la cohérence interne, les validités divergente et convergente de l’échelle. Puis, une analyse d’invariance en fonction du genre teste les propriétés métriques de l’échelle. Les résultats obtenus présentent des qualités psychométriques acceptables validant ainsi la version française.Voice is an essential behaviour that can inhibit or generate processes of innovation and organisational change. To date, few measurement scales adapted to the French context and allowing to analyse this behaviour exists. This article proposes to translate the 4’factors Voice scale from Maynes and Podsakoff (2014). The translation of this scale was tested by 4 studies on different samples of 1275 French workers from various organisational backgrounds. The first studies test the reliability, internal consistency, divergent and convergent validity of the scale. Then, a gender invariance analysis tests the metric properties of the scale. The results obtained present acceptable psychometric qualities that validate the French version

Atmospheric pressure plasma spraying of silane-based coatings targeting whey protein fouling and bacterial adhesion management

International audienc

Graphite based heat exchangers for fouling control in dairy industry

Fouling of heat exchangers is a major problem in the dairy industry. Deposits indeed produce a thermally insulating layer over the surface of the heat exchanger that decreases the heat transfer toward fluids and increases the pressure drop. Additionally , fouling can seriously affect the quality of food products by favoring the development of harmful bacteria, and thus increase the costs and environmental impacts because thorough cleaning procedures have to be used. In this context, fouling control solut ions are thus required. The present work thus aimed at testin g graphite -based materials to heat exchangers for the dairy industry. The fouling behavior was analyzed for four commercial graphite plates, submitted to pasteurization conditions in a pilot pasteurizer

Genetic determinants of disease severity in the myotonic dystrophy type 1 OPTIMISTIC cohort

To evaluate the role of genetic variation at the locus on symptomatic diversity in 250 adult, ambulant patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) recruited to the Observational Prolonged Trial in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 to Improve Quality of Life-Standards, a Target Identification Collaboration (OPTIMISTIC) clinical trial.We used small pool PCR to correct age at sampling biases and estimate the progenitor allele CTG repeat length and somatic mutational dynamics, and AciI digests and repeat primed PCR to test for the presence of variant repeats.We confirmed disease severity is driven by progenitor allele length, is further modified by age, and, in some cases, sex, and that patients in whom the CTG repeat expands more rapidly in the soma develop symptoms earlier than predicted. We revealed a key role for variant repeats in reducing disease severity and quantified their role in delaying age at onset by approximately 13.2 years (95% confidence interval 5.7-20.7, 2-tailed test = -3.7, = 0.0019).Careful characterization of the CTG repeat to define progenitor allele length and presence of variant repeats has increased utility in understanding clinical variability in a trial cohort and provides a genetic route for defining disease-specific outcome measures, and the basis of treatment response and stratification in DM1 trials

Associations Between Variant Repeat Interruptions and Clinical Outcomes in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1

Objective: To assess the association between variant repeat (VR) interruptions in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and clinical symptoms and outcome measures after cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention. Methods: Adult patients with DM1 were recruited within the OPTIMISTIC trial (NCT02118779). Disease-related history, current clinical symptoms and comorbidities, functional assessments, and disease- and health-related questionnaires were obtained at baseline and after 5 and 10 months. After genetic analysis, we assessed the association between the presence of VR interruptions and clinical symptoms' long-term outcomes and compared the effects of CBT in patients with and without VR interruptions. Core trial outcome measures analyzed were: 6-minute walking test, DM1-Activ-C, Checklist Individual Strength Fatigue Score, Myotonic Dystrophy Health Index, McGill-Pain questionnaire, and Beck Depression inventory—fast screen. Blood samples for DNA testing were obtained at the baseline visit for determining CTG length and detection of VR interruptions. Results: VR interruptions were detectable in 21/250 patients (8.4%)—12 were assigned to the standard-of-care group (control group) and 9 to the CBT group. Patients with VR interruptions were significantly older when the first medical problem occurred and had a significantly shorter disease duration at baseline. We found a tendency toward a milder disease severity in patients with VR interruptions, especially in ventilation status, mobility, and cardiac symptoms. Changes in clinical outcome measures after CBT were not associated with the presence of VR interruptions. Conclusions: The presence of VR interruptions is associated with a later onset of the disease and a milder phenotype. However, based on the OPTIMISTIC trial data, the presence of VR interruptions was not associated with significant changes on outcome measures after CBT intervention. Trial Registration: Information ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02118779

Palm oil deodorizer distillate as toughening agent in polylactide packaging films

A used-as-shipped biobased and biodegradable by-product of the palm oil refining increases polylactide (PLA) elongation at break up to 130% and allows film blowing without further additives. PLA blends are biodegradable and comply with legal norms of food contact materials. Polylactide (PLA) is the most used biodegradable and biobased food packaging polymer for rigid containers and films. However, its low ductility is a hurdle for increasing its applications in flexible food packaging. A solution is the use of additives. Palm oil deodorizer distillate (PODC) is revealed to be an excellent additive promoting PLA ductility. PODC is a by-product of vegetable oil refining, which is available in stable quality and in sufficient amounts. Amorphous PLA/PODC blends had an elongation at break of around 130% and that of semi-crystalline blends was still around 55% compared to the initial 5% of neat PLA. At the same time the PLA rigidity and high glass transition temperatures were kept. PODC was also a very efficient processing aid, allowing for film blow extrusion. The blends were stable in properties during six months without exudation. They complied with legal norms of Food Contact Materials (EU 10/2011) and induced no sensorial alteration of packed food. Therefore PODC is a very interesting alternative to common plasticizers for the production of flexible PLA packaging films

A general approach for hysteresis-free, operationally stable metal halide perovskite field-effect transistors.

Despite sustained research, application of lead halide perovskites in field-effect transistors (FETs) has substantial concerns in terms of operational instabilities and hysteresis effects which are linked to its ionic nature. Here, we investigate the mechanism behind these instabilities and demonstrate an effective route to suppress them to realize high-performance perovskite FETs with low hysteresis, high threshold voltage stability (ΔVt 1 cm2/V·s at room temperature. We show that multiple cation incorporation using strain-relieving cations like Cs and cations such as Rb, which act as passivation/crystallization modifying agents, is an effective strategy for reducing vacancy concentration and ion migration in perovskite FETs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that treatment of perovskite films with positive azeotrope solvents that act as Lewis bases (acids) enables a further reduction in defect density and substantial improvement in performance and stability of n-type (p-type) perovskite devices

Mid-Holocene Antarctic sea-ice increase driven by marine ice sheet retreat

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Ashley, K. E., McKay, R., Etourneau, J., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Condron, A., Albot, A., Crosta, X., Riesselman, C., Seki, O., Mass, G., Golledge, N. R., Gasson, E., Lowry, D. P., Barrand, N. E., Johnson, K., Bertler, N., Escutia, C., Dunbar, R., & Bendle, J. A. Mid-Holocene Antarctic sea-ice increase driven by marine ice sheet retreat. Climate of the Past, 17(1), (2021): 1-19, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1-2021.Over recent decades Antarctic sea-ice extent has increased, alongside widespread ice shelf thinning and freshening of waters along the Antarctic margin. In contrast, Earth system models generally simulate a decrease in sea ice. Circulation of water masses beneath large-cavity ice shelves is not included in current Earth System models and may be a driver of this phenomena. We examine a Holocene sediment core off East Antarctica that records the Neoglacial transition, the last major baseline shift of Antarctic sea ice, and part of a late-Holocene global cooling trend. We provide a multi-proxy record of Holocene glacial meltwater input, sediment transport, and sea-ice variability. Our record, supported by high-resolution ocean modelling, shows that a rapid Antarctic sea-ice increase during the mid-Holocene (∼ 4.5 ka) occurred against a backdrop of increasing glacial meltwater input and gradual climate warming. We suggest that mid-Holocene ice shelf cavity expansion led to cooling of surface waters and sea-ice growth that slowed basal ice shelf melting. Incorporating this feedback mechanism into global climate models will be important for future projections of Antarctic changes.This research has been supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (CENTA PhD; NE/L002493/1 and Standard Grant Ne/I00646X/1), Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS/FF2/60 no. L-11523), NZ Marsden Fund (grant nos. 18-VUW-089 and 15-VUW-131), NSF (grant nos. PLR-1443347 and ACI-1548562), the U.S. Dept. of Energy (grant no. DE-SC0016105), ERC (StG ICEPROXY, 203441; ANR CLIMICE, FP7 Past4Future, 243908), L'Oréal-UNESCO New Zealand For Women in Science Fellowship, University of Otago Research Grant, the IODP U.S. Science Support Program, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant no. CTM2017-89711-C2-1-P), and the European Union (FEDER)