Mobile information access in the real world: A story of three wireless devices

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2008 ElsevierThe importance of the user perspective to the wireless information access experience cannot be understated: simply put, users will not indulge in devices that are perceived to be difficult to use and in technologies that do not offer quality infotainment – combined information and entertainment – content. In this paper, we investigate the impact that mobile devices have on the user wireless infotainment access experience in practice. To this end, we have undertaken an empirical study placed in a ‘real-world’ setting, in which participants undertook typical infotainment access tasks on three different wireless-enabled mobile devices: a laptop, a personal digital assistant and a head mounted display device. Results show that, with the exception of participants’ level of self-consciousness when using such devices in public environments, the user wireless information access experience is generally unaffected by device type. Location was shown, though, to be a significant factor when users engage in tasks such as listening to online music or navigation. Whilst the interaction between device and environment was found to influence entertainment-related tasks in our experiments, the informational ones were not affected. However, the interaction effects between device and user type was found to affect both types of tasks. Lastly, a user’s particular computing experience was shown to influence the perceived ease of wireless information access only in the case of online searching, irrespective of whether this is done for primarily informational purposes or entertainment ones

A Child With Radius Aplasia, Cleft of Lip and Palate, Microcephaly, and Unusual Chromosome Findings

We report a child with malformation syndrome of microcephaly, asymmetrical radius aplasia, and cleft of lip and palate, who was mosaic for a chromosome marker and/or ring of unknown origin. In view of the reported cases of limb deficiency with chromosome abnormalities and the unlikelihood that the patient has a recognized genetic syndrome, the cause of the patient’s syndrome may well be the extra chromosomal material

Linkage analysis in a large kindred with autosomal dominant transmission of polyglandular autoimmune disease type II (Schmidt syndrome)

Schmidt syndrome (PGA syndrome type II) is a rare condition characterized by polyglandular failure. It is an autosomal dominant trait with variable expressivity that was inherited over four generations in an Indiana kindred. Association of HLA-B8 has been reported with Schmidt syndrome. Our proband is a 12-year-old boy with Addison disease, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), and vitiligo. Two of his eight sibs had either IDDM (sister) or vitiligo and hyperthyroidism (brother). His mother had hypothyroidism. Seven members of earlier generations apparently were also affected. We obtained peripheral blood for HLA and genetic analysis from 21 relatives in a family with 8 Schmidt syndrome individuals in three generations. HLA studies on 15 affected and unaffected relatives showed only 2 of 7 persons with B8-containing haplotypes. Therefore, no association exists between the B8-containing haplotype and the syndrome. We identified informative marker loci. No evidence for linkage of the Schmidt locus to any of the 14 markers was found and close linkage to esterase D and adenylate kinase and possibly properdin factor B was excluded

Light Induced Increase of Electron Diffusion Length in a p n Junction Type CH3NH3PbBr3 Perovskite Solar Cell

High band gap, high open circuit voltage solar cells with methylammonium lead tribromide MAPbBr3 perovskite absorbers are of interest for spectral splitting and photoelectrochemical applications, because of their good performance and ease of processing. The physical origin of high performance in these and similar perovskite based devices remains only partially understood. Using cross sectional electron beaminduced current EBIC measurements, we find an increase in carrier diffusion length in MAPbBr3 Cl based solar cells upon low intensity a few percent of 1 sun intensity blue laser illumination. Comparing dark and illuminated conditions, the minority carrier electron diffusion length increases about 3.5 times from Ln 100 50 nm to 360 22 nm. The EBIC cross section profile indicates a p amp; 8722;n structure between the n FTO TiO2 and p perovskite, rather than the p amp; 8722;i amp; 8722;n structure, reported for the iodide derivative. On the basis of the variation in space charge region width with varying bias, measured by EBIC and capacitance amp; 8722;voltage measurements, we estimate the net doping concentration in MAPbBr3 Cl to be 3 amp; 8722;6 1017 cm amp; 8722;

Evaluation of machine-learning methods for ligand-based virtual screening

Machine-learning methods can be used for virtual screening by analysing the structural characteristics of molecules of known (in)activity, and we here discuss the use of kernel discrimination and naive Bayesian classifier (NBC) methods for this purpose. We report a kernel method that allows the processing of molecules represented by binary, integer and real-valued descriptors, and show that it is little different in screening performance from a previously described kernel that had been developed specifically for the analysis of binary fingerprint representations of molecular structure. We then evaluate the performance of an NBC when the training-set contains only a very few active molecules. In such cases, a simpler approach based on group fusion would appear to provide superior screening performance, especially when structurally heterogeneous datasets are to be processed

Quantum line bundles on noncommutative sphere

Noncommutative (NC) sphere is introduced as a quotient of the enveloping algebra of the Lie algebra su(2). Using the Cayley-Hamilton identities we introduce projective modules which are analogues of line bundles on the usual sphere (we call them quantum line bundles) and define a multiplicative structure in their family. Also, we compute a pairing between certain quantum line bundles and finite dimensional representations of the NC sphere in the spirit of the NC index theorem. A new approach to constructing the differential calculus on a NC sphere is suggested. The approach makes use of the projective modules in question and gives rise to a NC de Rham complex being a deformation of the classical one.Comment: LaTeX file, 15 pp, no figures. Some clarifying remarks are added at the beginning of section 2 and into section

Beta-glucan reflects liver injury after preservation and transplantation in dogs.

Graft failure and extrahepatic organ complications, which frequently develop after transplantation, may be related to inflammatory mediators stimulated by endotoxin (ET). The role of endotoxemia after liver transplantation is controversial and may depend upon differences in the ET assay method used in the various contradicting studies. While the standard Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) is reactive for ET and beta-glucan, a novel turbidimetric assay method enables separate determinations of ET and beta-glucan. Beagle dogs undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation were divided into two groups. In Group I (n = 6) the grafts were transplanted immediately and in Group II (n = 6) grafts were preserved for 48 h in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution. Animals received cyclosporine immunosuppression and were followed for 14 days. Daily measurements of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were performed. Samples for ET and beta-glucan measurement were collected serially and processed using the turbidimetric assay method. While no graft failure was seen in Group I, three of six Group II animals died from graft failure within 1 day after transplantation. Preservation and reperfusion injury was much more severe in the Group II grafts than in Group I grafts. While endotoxemia could not be detected, postoperative beta-glucan levels (undetectable pretransplant) were seen in both groups. Beta-glucan levels were much higher in Group II grafts than in Group I grafts, and correlated with the severity of liver damage. In conclusion, this study shows that beta-glucan, instead of ET, appears during the early posttransplant period. We believe that posttransplant elevation of beta-glucan is related to liver damage, especially endothelial damage by preservation and reperfusion

Sex differences in nucleus accumbens transcriptome profiles associated with susceptibility versus resilience to subchronic variable stress

Depression and anxiety disorders are more prevalent in females, but the majority of research in animal models, the first step in finding new treatments, has focused predominantly on males. Here we report that exposure to subchronic variable stress (SCVS) induces depression-associated behaviors in female mice, whereas males are resilient as they do not develop these behavioral abnormalities. In concert with these different behavioral responses, transcriptional analysis of nucleus accumbens (NAc), a major brain reward region, by use of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) revealed markedly different patterns of stress regulation of gene expression between the sexes. Among the genes displaying sex differences was DNA methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a), which shows a greater induction in females after SCVS. Interestingly, Dnmt3a expression levels were increased in the NAc of depressed humans, an effect seen in both males and females. Local overexpression of Dnmt3a in NAc rendered male mice more susceptible to SCVS, whereas Dnmt3a knock-out in this region rendered females more resilient, directly implicating this gene in stress responses. Associated with this enhanced resilience of female mice upon NAc knock-out of Dnmt3a was a partial shift of the NAc female transcriptome toward the male pattern after SCVS. These data indicate that males and females undergo different patterns of transcriptional regulation in response to stress and that a DNA methyltransferase in NAc contributes to sex differences in stress vulnerability

Artificial Intelligence

Contains research objectives and reports on five research projects.Computation Center, M.I.T

Three-dimensional Quantum-size Effect In Chemically Deposited Cadmium Selenide Films

Optical band gaps, Eg, up to 0.5 eV higher than in single-crystal samples, are observed for chemically deposited films of CdSe and explained in terms of a quantum-size effect, whereby the electrons are localized in individual crystallites. The increase in Eg depends strongly on deposition temperature, with the greatest increase obtained at the lowest temperature. Annealing at temperatures above the deposition temperature causes a decrease in Eg; this decrease is stronger at higher annealing temperature. Structural studies of the as-deposited layers showed them to be composed of microcrystalline, cubic CdSe, and electron microscopy resolved them into individual crystallites of typically 4080-A diameter, depending on deposition temperature. This is the first example reported of a three-dimensional quantum-size effect in a film. © 1987 The American Physical Society.3684215422