1,238 research outputs found
Angular distributions in the radiative decays of the state of charmonium originating from polarized collisions
Using the helicity formalism, we calculate the combined angular distribution
function of the two gamma photons ( and ) and the electron
() in the triple cascade process
, when and
are arbitrarily polarized. We also derive six different partially integrated
angular distribution functions which give the angular distributions of one or
two particles in the final state. Our results show that by measuring the
two-particle angular distribution of and and that of
and , one can determine the relative magnitudes as well as the
relative phases of all the helicity amplitudes in the two charmonium radiative
transitions and .Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1311.464
Angular distributions of the polarized photons and electron in the decays of the state of charmonium
We calculate the combined angular distribution functions of the polarized
photons ( and ) and electron () produced in the
cascade process
, when the
colliding and are unpolarized. Our results are independent of any
dynamical models and are expressed in terms of the spherical harmonics whose
coefficients are functions of the angular-momentum helicity amplitudes of the
individual processes. Once the joint angular distribution of (,
) and that of (, ) with the polarization of either one
of the two particles are measured, our results will enable one to determine the
relative magnitudes as well as the relative phases of all the angular-momentum
helicity amplitudes in the radiative decay processes
and
Deliberation in Mobile Messaging Application: A Case in Hong Kong
Considering the increasing penetration of Internet and mobile technologies, we can foresee that more online debates and political discussions, such as online deliberations, will occur in the future. However, prior research does not illustrate or provide empirical evidence to support steps that that online deliberation should take. To address this gap, we conduct a case study on Project ThunderGo, an online deliberation campaign related to the 2016 Hong Kong Legislative Election. Via analyzing data obtained from their deliberation groups, the relevant news articles, and the election results, we establish a four-stage building, engineering, arriving, and reaching (BEAR) model of online deliberation and provide some practical implications for future deliberation host. The model and implications articulate ICT’s role in addressing complicated and multi-facet social problems
Developmental Strategies of Proliferating Cryptocurrencies – A Case Study on Solana
Cryptocurrencies have disrupted the financial world and created opportunities for businesses to raise capital. However, not all cryptocurrencies have been successful, and identifying the critical factors for success is essential. Many successful cryptocurrencies have established ecosystems and partnerships with leading companies. The purpose of this article is to explore the strategies for building an ecosystem of cryptocurrencies to promote their development and adoption. By examining successful cases and identifying the associated technological innovations and external partnerships, this study aims to provide empirical evidence and insights into the proliferation of cryptocurrencies
Peculiar Features of the Interaction Potential between Hydrogen and Antihydrogen at Intermediate Separations
We evaluate the interaction potential between a hydrogen and an antihydrogen
using the second-order perturbation theory within the framework of the
four-body system in a separable two-body basis. We find that the H-Hbar
interaction potential possesses the peculiar features of a shallow local
minimum located around interatomic separations of r ~ 6 a.u. and a barrier
rising at r~5 a.u. Additional theoretical and experimental investigations on
the nature of these peculiar features will be of great interest.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Relationships of Kindergarten Children’s BMI amongst Parental Body Dissatisfaction and Dietary Restraint: A Case Study in Hong Kong
Objective: In this study, the aim was to explore the relationships of kindergarten children’s BMI amongst parental factors such as parental BMI, body dissatisfaction, parental dietary restraint, child weight concern and child weightfocused restrictive feeding.
Method: 466 kindergarten students’ parents were participated in this study. A self-administrated questionnaire was distributed to parents. Independent t-test, one way ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation were performed to analyze the relationships amongst different factors contributing to children’s BMI.
Results: 30% parents and 37% children were found either overweight or obese. The six pathways in the proposed model were all significantly correlated. It was found that parental BMI significantly correlated with body dissatisfaction [r (466)=0.282, p
Conclusion: The results of this study confirmed the presence of upward trend of childhood obesity in Hong Kong. In addition, parental body dissatisfaction was found to be a significant factor to determine parental dietary restraint, which was associated with child weight-focused restrictive feeding and finally affected child BMI
Comparison of Doppler ultrasonic and oscillometric devices (with or without 2 proprietary optimizations) for non-invasive blood pressure measurement in conscious 3 cats
Objectives
This study compared Doppler and oscillometric (PetMAP+) devices (with or without proprietary optimisations) for the non-invasive measurement of blood pressure in conscious cats.
Methods
Twenty-three cats were enrolled; however, five were excluded as fewer than five measurements were obtained for each assessment. All measurements were obtained according to American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine consensus guidelines. Oscillometric device modes A and B were operated according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. Doppler and oscillometric devices were used alternately as the first device.
Results
Systolic arterial blood pressure (SAP) measurements were obtained by Doppler (SAPd) and oscillometry; the mean of each set of five values was used for statistical analysis. There was a significant difference between SAPd and SAP measurements in oscillometric modes A (P <0.001) and B (P <0.001). While both modes measured SAP higher than SAPd, B had a smaller bias (+15.72 mmHg) and narrower limits of agreement (LOA). There was also a significant difference between SAPd and mean arterial pressure (MAP) on oscillometric modes A (P = 0.002) and B (P <0.001). Both modes’ MAP readings were lower than SAPd and oscillometric A MAP was closer to SAPd (–14.94 mmHg), with a smaller bias and narrower LOA.
Conclusions and relevance
The findings support that Doppler and oscillometric devices cannot be used interchangeably, with or without proprietary optimisations. Methodology should always be taken into account and reference intervals (RIs) need to be defined for the different methodologies. Until methodology-specific RIs are published, definitive diagnosis of hypertension and sub-staging of patients with kidney disease according to the International Renal Interest Society guidelines remains challenging
Engineering Agatoxin, a Cystine-Knot Peptide from Spider Venom, as a Molecular Probe for In Vivo Tumor Imaging
Background: Cystine-knot miniproteins, also known as knottins, have shown great potential as molecular scaffolds for the development of targeted therapeutics and diagnostic agents. For this purpose, previous protein engineering efforts have focused on knottins based on the Ecballium elaterium trypsin inhibitor (EETI) from squash seeds, the Agouti-related protein (AgRP) neuropeptide from mammals, or the Kalata B1 uterotonic peptide from plants. Here, we demonstrate that Agatoxin (AgTx), an ion channel inhibitor found in spider venom, can be used as a molecular scaffold to engineer knottins that bind with high-affinity to a tumor-associated integrin receptor. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used a rational loop-grafting approach to engineer AgTx variants that bound to α β integrin with affinities in the low nM range. We showed that a disulfide-constrained loop from AgRP, a structurally-related knottin, can be substituted into AgTx to confer its high affinity binding properties. In parallel, we identified amino acid mutations required for efficient in vitro folding of engineered integrin-binding AgTx variants. Molecular imaging was used to evaluate in vivo tumor targeting and biodistribution of an engineered AgTx knottin compared to integrin-binding knottins based on AgRP and EETI. Knottin peptides were chemically synthesized and conjugated to a near-infrared fluorescent dye. Integrin-binding AgTx, AgRP, and EETI knottins all generated high tumor imaging contrast in U87MG glioblastoma xenograft models. Interestingly, EETI-based knottins generated significantly lower non-specific kidney imaging signals compared to AgTx and AgRP-based knottins. Conclusions/Significance: In this study, we demonstrate that AgTx, a knottin from spider venom, can be engineered to bind with high affinity to a tumor-associated receptor target. This work validates AgTx as a viable molecular scaffold for protein engineering, and further demonstrates the promise of using tumor-targeting knottins as probes for in vivo molecular imaging
The Role of Celebrities’ Personality Traits & Endorsement on Consumers’ Online Brand Defending and Purchase Behaviour
Celebrity endorsements are widely adopted as part of the marketing strategies for many brands, given celebrities can engage their fans to patronize the brand and to distribute celebrity-featuring promotion messages online. With the proliferation of the Internet, these fans may also defend their beloved celebrities when they are being attacked. However, whether a consumer’s positive attitude to the endorser would impact their behaviour toward the endorsed brand remains unclear. Qualitatively studying based on a few leading online communities, we explored the impact of attitude towards brand-endorsing celebrities on online consumers’ behaviour (likelihood of brand defending and purchase intention), which would foster the brand’s electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). We also identified several endorsers’ traits that drive consumers’ attitudes towards brand-endorsing celebrities and the role of exposure frequency of celebrity-featured advertisements on consumers’ attitudes towards the endorsed brand
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