The Role of Contextual Clues in the Creation of Information Overload

There has been an explosion of new forms of communications media for interpersonal communication. There is anecdotal evidence of people suffering from 'information overload' as a result of these developments. This paper presents the results from, and analysis of, a case study of a perceived problem of information overload from e-mail in a large international organization: Watson Wyatt Partners. The research took two approaches to exploring the problem. The first was a survey of 1500 members of staff in the UK and Europe. This was aimed at collecting factual information. The second approach was to conduct follow up interviews with 19 people at two sites in the UK to explore some of the issues raised by the survey in greater depth. In the paper, we argue that for CMCs (Computer Mediated Communications) to be effective there is a need to establish a 'context' in which the message can be interpreted. In doing so, we will demonstrate that ignoring the degree of 'context' a media provides can adversely affect the users perceptions of that media.Electronic mail, e-mail, CMC, communication technology, contextual clues, information overload

Tracking Vector Magnetograms with the Magnetic Induction Equation

The differential affine velocity estimator (DAVE) developed in Schuck (2006) for estimating velocities from line-of-sight magnetograms is modified to directly incorporate horizontal magnetic fields to produce a differential affine velocity estimator for vector magnetograms (DAVE4VM). The DAVE4VM's performance is demonstrated on the synthetic data from the anelastic pseudospectral ANMHD simulations that were used in the recent comparison of velocity inversion techniques by Welsch (2007). The DAVE4VM predicts roughly 95% of the helicity rate and 75% of the power transmitted through the simulation slice. Inter-comparison between DAVE4VM and DAVE and further analysis of the DAVE method demonstrates that line-of-sight tracking methods capture the shearing motion of magnetic footpoints but are insensitive to flux emergence -- the velocities determined from line-of-sight methods are more consistent with horizontal plasma velocities than with flux transport velocities. These results suggest that previous studies that rely on velocities determined from line-of-sight methods such as the DAVE or local correlation tracking may substantially misrepresent the total helicity rates and power through the photosphere.Comment: 30 pages, 13 figure

Accomplishments of the NASA Johnson Space Center portion of the soil moisture project in fiscal year 1981

The NASA/JSC ground scatterometer system was used in a row structure and row direction effects experiment to understand these effects on radar remote sensing of soil moisture. Also, a modification of the scatterometer system was begun and is continuing, to allow cross-polarization experiments to be conducted in fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Preprocessing of the 1978 agricultural soil moisture experiment (ASME) data was completed. Preparations for analysis of the ASME data is fiscal year 1982 were completed. A radar image simulation procedure developed by the University of Kansas is being improved. Profile soil moisture model outputs were compared quantitatively for the same soil and climate conditions. A new model was developed and tested to predict the soil moisture characteristic (water tension versus volumetric soil moisture content) from particle-size distribution and bulk density data. Relationships between surface-zone soil moisture, surface flux, and subsurface moisture conditions are being studied as well as the ways in which measured soil moisture (as obtained from remote sensing) can be used for agricultural applications

Smart & savvy students

We, the Smart & Savvy Students (SSS), provide studying and general life tips to Clemson University students. We have a Twitter feed and a Facebook page to spread the information to the student body. Each tweet contains a 140 character tip written in a dialogue format. The tweets include links to the Facebook page, which has more information. The Facebook page provides links to scientific sources that support our claims. These links provide students with the opportunity to learn more about the topics. SSS posts tips to Twitter and Facebook 3 to 5 times a week. Using popular social media, SSS provides students quick tips about topics including study skills, exercise and diet, recreation, social life, emotional health, and healthy habits. This project is sponsored by the Creative Inquiry Program at Clemson University

Preliminary Solar Sail Design and Fabrication Assessment: Spinning Sail Blade, Square Sail Sheet

Blade design aspects most affecting producibility and means of measurement and control of length, scallop, fullness and straightness requirements and tolerances were extensively considered. Alternate designs of the panel seams and edge reinforcing members are believed to offer advantages of seam integrity, producibility, reliability, cost and weight. Approaches to and requirements for highly specialized metalizing methods, processes and equipment were studied and identified. Alternate methods of sail blade fabrication and related special machinery, tooling, fixtures and trade offs were examined. A preferred and recommended approach is also described. Quality control plans, inspection procedures, flow charts and special test equipment associated with the preferred manufacturing method were analyzed and are discussed

Mosquito Populations from Eastern South Dakota During 2001 and 2002

In 2001, the South Dakota Department of Health initiated a program to monitor mosquitoes in South Dakota for the presence of the West Nile Virus. During the first year (2001), a pilot survey was conducted near Brookings, SD. To collect mosquitoes, CDC miniture light traps were used without carbondioxide baiting, beginning on July 3 and ending on August 2, 2001. Results from this small study (total of 2,042 mosquitoes during 10 collection days) showed that the most common mosquotes were Aedes vexans (88.2%), Culex tarsalis, (5.2%), and Aedes dorsalis (4.9%). An additional survey was conducted during the summer of 2002 focusing on 8 different sites (Brandon, Brookings, Huron, North Sioux City, Oak Lake Field Station, Watertown, Waubay and Yankton) in eastern South Dakota. Mosquitoes were collected with the same traps used for 2001, however, the traps were baited with carbon diaoxide (dry ice). Trapping began on June 1 and ended on September 1, 2002. A total of 18,971 mosquitoes were collected from the 8 sites during the 127 trapping days of this survey. From this population, 21 different mosquito species from 8 different genera were identified. The vast majority of mosquitoes were Aedes vexans (86.3%), but Culex tarsalis was also present in significant numbers (7.2%). Aedes vexans populations varied to a greater degree during the summer than did Culex tarsalis. The public’s perceptions of the danger of West Nile Virus transmission is probably more determined by Aedes population than by Culex populations even though Aedes likely plays little or no role in the transmission of this disease

Luminosity optimisation using beam-beam deflections at LEP

In maximizing the performance of the LEP electron-positron collider it is important to ensure that the beams collide head-on at the interaction points. The deflection of the beams due to the beam-beam interactions has been measured using orbit monitors located close to the interaction points. The dependence of the beam-beam deflection on the transverse distance between the beams has been used to optimise the overlap of the beams in the vertical plane and to measure the beam sizes at the interaction points

Calibration of centre-of-mass energies at LEP 2 for a precise measurement of the W boson mass

The determination of the centre-of-mass energies for all LEP 2 running is presented. Accurate knowledge of these energies is of primary importance to set the absolute energy scale for the measurement of the W boson mass. The beam energy between 80 and 104 GeV is derived from continuous measurements of the magnetic bending field by 16 NMR probes situated in a number of the LEP dipoles. The relationship between the fields measured by the probes and the beam energy is defined in the NMR model, which is calibrated against precise measurements of the average beam energy between 41 and 61 GeV made using the resonant depolarisation technique. The validity of the NMR model is verified by three independent methods: the flux-loop, which is sensitive to the bending field of all the dipoles of LEP; the spectrometer, which determines the energy through measurements of the deflection of the beam in a magnet of known integrated field; and an analysis of the variation of the synchrotron tune with the total RF voltage. To obtain the centre-of-mass energies, corrections are then applied to account for sources of bending field external to the dipoles, and variations in the local beam energy at each interaction point. The relative error on the centre-of-mass energy determination for the majority of LEP 2 running is 1.2 x 10^{-4}, which is sufficiently precise so as not to introduce a dominant uncertainty on the W mass measurement.Comment: 79 pages, 45 figures, submitted to EPJ