University of North Carolina at Greensboro

About: University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a education organization based out in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 5481 authors who have published 13715 publications receiving 456239 citations. The organization is also known as: UNCG & UNC Greensboro.

Estimation of carotenoid bioavailability from fresh stir-fried vegetables using an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture model.

Abstract: We previously developed an in vitro model to estimate the relative bioavailability of carotenoids from a meal prepared using commercial baby foods. The general applicability of this model was tested using a stir-fried meal consisting of fresh spinach, fresh carrots, tomato paste, and vegetable oil. After in vitro digestion of the cooked meal, the aqueous fraction was separated from residual oil droplet and solids by centrifugation to quantify micellarized carotenoids. The percentages of lutein, lycopene, α-carotene, and β-carotene transferred from the meal to the micellar fraction were 29.0 ± 0.6, 3.2 ± 0.1, 14.7 ± 0.3, and 16.0 ± 0.4, respectively. Carotenoid transfer from the meal to the aqueous fraction was inhibited when bile extract was omitted from the intestinal phase of digestion. The bioavailability of the micellarized carotenoids was validated using differentiated cultures of Caco-2 human intestinal cells. All four carotenoids were accumulated in a linear manner throughout a 6-hr incubation period. Metabolic integrity was not compromised by exposure of cultures to the diluted aqueous fraction from the digested meal. The addition of 500 μmol/L α-tocopherol to test medium significantly improved the stability of the micellar carotenoids within the tissue culture environment. These results support the utility of the in vitro digestion procedure for estimating the bioavailability of carotenoids from foods and meals.

Asynchrony among local communities stabilises ecosystem function of metacommunities

Abstract: Temporal stability of ecosystem functioning increases the predictability and reliability of ecosystem services, and understanding the drivers of stability across spatial scales is important for land management and policy decisions. We used species-level abundance data from 62 plant communities across five continents to assess mechanisms of temporal stability across spatial scales. We assessed how asynchrony (i.e. different units responding dissimilarly through time) of species and local communities stabilised metacommunity ecosystem function. Asynchrony of species increased stability of local communities, and asynchrony among local communities enhanced metacommunity stability by a wide range of magnitudes (1–315%); this range was positively correlated with the size of the metacommunity. Additionally, asynchronous responses among local communities were linked with species’ populations fluctuating asynchronously across space, perhaps stemming from physical and/or competitive differences among local communities. Accordingly, we suggest spatial heterogeneity should be a major focus for maintaining the stability of ecosystem services at larger spatial scales.

Predicting aggressive behavior in the third year from infant reactivity and regulation as moderated by maternal behavior.

Abstract: The degree to which infant attention behaviors, together with infant reactivity to frustrating events, predict aggressive behavior at 2.5 years, and the moderating effect of maternal behavior were tested with 64 low-risk mothers and infants. Mothers rated infant negative reactivity at 5 months and aggressive behavior and maternal trait anger at 2.5 years; infant and maternal behaviors were observed at 6 months. Based on hierarchical multiple regressions, infant attention to frustrating events at 6 months positively predicted aggressive behavior, whereas looking away from frustrating events was associated with less aggressive behavior for girls only. High reactivity to limits predicted aggressive behavior only when mothers encouraged infant attention to the frustrating event, suggesting that maternal behavior amplifies developmental pathways associated with infant temperament.

The Happy Culture: A Theoretical, Meta-Analytic, and Empirical Review of the Relationship Between Culture and Wealth and Subjective Well-Being:

Abstract: Do cultural values enhance financial and subjective well-being (SWB)? Taking a multidisciplinary approach, we meta-analytically reviewed the field, found it thinly covered, and focused on individualism. In counter, we collected a broad array of individual-level data, specifically an Internet sample of 8,438 adult respondents. Individual SWB was most strongly associated with cultural values that foster relationships and social capital, which typically accounted for more unique variance in life satisfaction than an individual's salary. At a national level, we used mean-based meta-analysis to construct a comprehensive cultural and SWB database. Results show some reversals from the individual level, particularly masculinity's facet of achievement orientation. In all, the happy nation has low power distance and low uncertainty avoidance, but is high in femininity and individualism, and these effects are interrelated but still partially independent from political and economic institutions. In short, culture matters for individual and national well-being.

Business Analytics in the Context of Big Data: A Roadmap for Research

Abstract: This paper builds on academic and industry discussions from the 2012 and 2013 pre-ICIS events: BI Congress III and the Special Interest Group on Decision Support Systems (SIGDSS) workshop, respectively. Recognizing the potential of “big data” to offer new insights for decision making and innovation, panelists at the two events discussed how organizations can use and manage big data for competitive advantage. In addition, expert panelists helped to identify research gaps. While emerging research in the academic community identifies some of the issues in acquiring, analyzing, and using big data, many of the new developments are occurring in the practitioner community. We bridge the gap between academic and practitioner research by presenting a big data analytics framework that depicts a process view of the components needed for big data analytics in organizations. Using practitioner interviews and literature from both academia and practice, we identify the current state of big data research guided by the framework and propose potential areas for future research to increase the relevance of academic research to practice.