1,335 research outputs found
Consuming Information Systems: An Economic Model of User Satisfaction
This paper has two major objectives. The first objective intends to answer the following question which is of significant interest to information system (IS) researchers and practitioners: How does user satisfaction (satisfaction) respond to changes in system use and system attributes? The second and more ambitious objective is to promote the application of economic theories in user behavior research. In contrast to prior research that conceived the development of user satisfaction as an information valuation and integration process, we consider such development to be embedded in the IS consumption process, that is, users gain utility (satisfaction) from consuming (using) the system. This perspective enables us to re-conceptualize user satisfaction as a proxy of utility and apply utility research in economics to study user satisfaction. An economic model of user satisfaction was developed. Two empirical studies were conducted to examine the research model. The findings confirmed the consumptive nature of user satisfaction. Apart from enriching our understanding of user satisfaction, this research demonstrates the usefulness of economic theories in user behavior research
The slow death (or rebirth?) of extended star formation in green valley early-type galaxies
UV observations in the local universe have uncovered a population of early-type galaxies with UV flux consistent with low-level recent or ongoing star formation. Understanding the origin of such star formation remains an open issue. We present resolved UV-optical photometry of a sample of 19 Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) early-type galaxies at drawn from the sample originally selected by Salim & Rich to lie in the bluer part of the green valley in the UV-optical color-magnitude diagram as measured by the . Utilizing high-resolution far-UV imaging provides unique insight into the distribution of UV light in these galaxies, which we call "extended star-forming early-type galaxies" (ESF-ETGs) because of extended UV emission that is indicative of recent star formation. The UV-optical color profiles of all ESF-ETGs show red centers and blue outer parts. Their outer colors require the existence of a significant underlying population of older stars in the UV-bright regions. An analysis of stacked SDSS spectra reveals weak LINER-like emission in their centers. Using a cross-matched SDSS DR7/ GR6 catalog, we search for other green valley galaxies with similar properties to these ESF-ETGs and estimate that of dust-corrected green valley galaxies of similar stellar mass and UV-optical color are likely ESF-candidates, i.e., ESF-ETGs are not rare. Our results are consistent with star formation that is gradually declining in existing disks, i.e., the ESF-ETGs are evolving onto the red sequence for the first time, or with rejuvenated star formation due to accreted gas in older disks provided that the gas does not disrupt the structure of the galaxy and the resulting star formation is not too recent and bursty. ESF-ETGs may typify an important subpopulation of galaxies that can linger in the green valley for up to several Gyrs, based on their resemblance to nearby gas-rich green valley galaxies with low-level ongoing star formation
Can Social Capital be Transferred Cross the Boundary of the Real and Virtual Worlds? An Empirical Investigation of Twitter
Micro-blogs like Twitter are playing increasingly important roles in social life. Some key users of Twitter have drawn huge attention from other people. Their opinions have had significant influence on the rest of Twitter users. In other words, these people are highly reputable and have more social capital in the Twitter world. But what factors contribute to the social capital in a part of the virtual world like Twitter is still largely unknown. This paper investigates the source of social capital in the Twitter world. We identify two types of sources that influence a user’s social capital in the Twitter world: (1) inherited capital from outside the Twitter world; and (2) social activities conducted within the Twitter world. The results show that both inherited capital from outside, and activities within, the Twitter world, have positive influence on a user’s social capital in the Twitter world. Our results suggest that social capital can be transferred from the real world to the virtual one. Meanwhile the inherited social capital of a user from outside the Twitter world significantly impacts the level of activities the user undertakes in the Twitter world. For ordinary people, inherited social capital positively associates with the level of their social activities in the Twitter world. But for the most well known Twitter users, who are usually celebrities, this relationship is negative. Implications for research and practice are further discussed
Integral equation method for the electromagnetic wave propagation in stratified anisotropic dielectric-magnetic materials
We investigate the propagation of electromagnetic waves in stratified
anisotropic dielectric-magnetic materials using the integral equation method
(IEM). Based on the superposition principle, we use Hertz vector formulations
of radiated fields to study the interaction of wave with matter. We derive in a
new way the dispersion relation, Snell's law and reflection/transmission
coefficients by self-consistent analyses. Moreover, we find two new forms of
the generalized extinction theorem. Applying the IEM, we investigate the wave
propagation through a slab and disclose the underlying physics which are
further verified by numerical simulations. The results lead to a unified
framework of the IEM for the propagation of wave incident either from a medium
or vacuum in stratified dielectric-magnetic materials.Comment: 14pages, 3figure
Hartree-Fock Theory of Skyrmions in Quantum Hall Ferromagnets
We report on a study of the charged-skyrmion or spin-texture excitations
which occur in quantum Hall ferromagnets near odd Landau level filling factors.
Particle-hole symmetry is used to relate the spin-quantum numbers of charged
particle and hole excitations and neutral particle-hole pair excitations.
Hartree-Fock theory is used to provide quantitative estimates of the energies
of these excitations and their dependence on Zeeman coupling strength, Landau
level quantum numbers, and the thicknesses of the two-dimensional electron
layers. For the case of near three we suggest the possibility of first
order phase transitions with increasing Zeeman coupling strength from a many
skyrmion state to one with many maximally spin-polarized quasiparticles.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figure
Three-dimensional Optical-resolution Photoacoustic Microscopy
Optical microscopy, providing valuable insights at the cellular and organelle levels, has been widely recognized as an enabling biomedical technology. As the mainstays of in vivo three-dimensional (3-D) optical microscopy, single-/multi-photon fluorescence microscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) have demonstrated their extraordinary sensitivities to fluorescence and optical scattering contrasts, respectively. However, the optical absorption contrast of biological tissues, which encodes essential physiological/pathological information, has not yet been assessable.
The emergence of biomedical photoacoustics has led to a new branch of optical microscopy optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM), where the optical irradiation is focused to the diffraction limit to achieve cellular1 or even subcellular level lateral resolution. As a valuable complement to existing optical microscopy technologies, OR-PAM brings in at least two novelties. First and most importantly, OR-PAM detects optical absorption contrasts with extraordinary sensitivity (i.e., 100%). Combining OR-PAM with fluorescence microscopy or with optical-scattering-based OCT (or with both) provides comprehensive optical properties of biological tissues. Second, OR-PAM encodes optical absorption into acoustic waves, in contrast to the pure optical processes in fluorescence microscopy and OCT, and provides background-free detection. The acoustic detection in OR-PAM mitigates the impacts of optical scattering on signal degradation and naturally eliminates possible interferences (i.e., crosstalks) between excitation and detection, which is a common problem in fluorescence microscopy due to the overlap between the excitation and fluorescence spectra.
Unique for optical absorption imaging, OR-PAM has demonstrated broad biomedical applications since its invention, including, but not limited to, neurology, ophthalmology, vascular biology, and dermatology. In this video, we teach the system configuration and alignment of OR-PAM as well as the experimental procedures for in vivo functional microvascular imaging
Edge reconstruction in the fractional quantum Hall regime
The interplay of electron-electron interaction and confining potential can
lead to the reconstruction of fractional quantum Hall edges. We have performed
exact diagonalization studies on microscopic models of fractional quantum Hall
liquids, in finite size systems with disk geometry, and found numerical
evidence of edge reconstruction under rather general conditions. In the present
work we have taken into account effects like layer thickness and Landau level
mixing, which are found to be of quantitative importance in edge physics. Due
to edge reconstruction, additional nonchiral edge modes arise for both
incompressible and compressible states. These additional modes couple to
electromagnetic fields and thus can be detected in microwave conductivity
measurements. They are also expected to affect the exponent of electron Green's
function, which has been measured in tunneling experiments. We have studied in
this work the electric dipole spectral function that is directly related to the
microwave conductivity measurement. Our results are consistent with the
enhanced microwave conductivity observed in experiments performed on samples
with an array of antidots at low temperatures, and its suppression at higher
temperatures. We also discuss the effects of the edge reconstruction on the
single electron spectral function at the edge.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figure
Microwave Inter-Connections and Switching by means of Carbon Nano-tubes
In this work, carbon nanotube (CNT) based
interconnections and switches will be reviewed,
discussing the possibility to use nanotubes as potential
building blocks for signal routing in microwave
networks. In particular, theoretical design of coplanar
waveguide (CPW), micro‐strip single‐pole‐single‐throw
(SPST) and single‐pole‐double‐throw (SPDT) devices has
been performed to predict the electrical performances of
CNT‐based RF switching configurations. Actually, by
using the semiconductor‐conductor transition obtained
by properly biasing the CNTs, an isolation better than 30
dB can be obtained between the ON and OFF states of the
switch for very wide bandwidth applications. This
happens owing to the shape deformation and consequent
change in the band‐gap due to the external pressure
caused by the electric field. State‐of‐art for other
switching techniques based on CNTs and their use for RF
nano‐interconnections is also discussed, together with
current issues in measurement techniques
Application of UV Visible Light Absorption and Scattering technique to low absorption fuels under diesel-like conditions
Light Absorption and Scattering technique (LAS) has been applied for the measurement of fuel vapour distribution
in diesel-type sprays. This technique is usually limited to fuels with relatively high absorptivity,
which are sometimes not commonly used as surrogate fuels. In the present paper, a comparison of fuels
with very different absorptive properties has been made to determine the range of application of the
methodology. A calibration procedure has been applied to n-decane (DEC), a binary blend of n-decane
and n-hexadecane (50DEC) and three blends of n-heptane with a highly-absorpting fuel (HEPB1,
HEPB2 and HEPB3). This methodology enables the in-situ quantification of absorption coefficients at high
pressure and temperature by creating a uniform mixture inside the cylinder. Results have been later
applied for the quantification of fuel vapour distribution in sprays for DEC, 50DEC and HEPB3. Results
obtained with these range of fuels have enabled to establish the limit in terms of absorption coefficient
needed to get consistent results with the technique.This work was partially funded by the Government of Spain through Project TRA2011-26359 and Grant BES-2012-059721. In addition, the authors acknowledge that some equipment used in this work has been partially supported by FEDER project funds (FEDER-ICTS-2012-06), framed in the operational program of unique scientific and technical infrastructure of the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain.Pastor Soriano, JV.; García Oliver, JM.; López, JJ.; Micó Reche, C. (2016). Application of UV Visible Light Absorption and Scattering technique to low absorption fuels under diesel-like conditions. Fuel. 179:258-266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2016.03.080S25826617
Bulk-sensitive photoemission spectroscopy of A_2FeMoO_6 double perovskites (A=Sr, Ba)
Electronic structures of Sr_2FeMoO_6 (SFMO) and Ba_2FeMoO_6 (BFMO) double
perovskites have been investigated using the Fe 2p->3d resonant photoemission
spectroscopy (PES) and the Cooper minimum in the Mo 4d photoionization cross
section. The states close to the Fermi level are found to have strongly mixed
Mo-Fe t_{2g} character, suggesting that the Fe valence is far from pure 3+. The
Fe 2p_{3/2} XAS spectra indicate the mixed-valent Fe^{3+}-Fe^{2+}
configurations, and the larger Fe^{2+} component for BFMO than for SFMO,
suggesting a kind of double exchange interaction. The valence-band PES spectra
reveal good agreement with the LSDA+U calculation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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