5,309 research outputs found
Omni-Channel Purchase Journey with Multi-Device Paths
With increasing consumer demands at the center of omni-channel activity, apparel retailers need to develop customer-centered omni-channel strategies and prepare to align their whole operations with omni-channel retailing, from marketing to distribution. The purpose of this study was to understand omni-channel consumers’ decision processes with multi-device paths during their purchase journey, from the source of the firm’s messages to their post-purchase behaviors
Quantification of Ion Migration in CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells by Transient Capacitance Measurements
Solar cells based on organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites show
efficiencies close to highly-optimized silicon solar cells. However, ion
migration in the perovskite films leads to device degradation and impedes large
scale commercial applications. We use transient ion-drift measurements to
quantify activation energy, diffusion coefficient, and concentration of mobile
ions in methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI3) perovskite solar cells, and find
that their properties change close to the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic phase
transition temperature. We identify three migrating ion species which we
attribute to the migration of iodide (I-) and methylammonium (MA+). We find
that the concentration of mobile MA+ ions is one order of magnitude higher than
the one of mobile I- ions, and that the diffusion coefficient of mobile MA+
ions is three orders of magnitude lower than the one for mobile I- ions. We
furthermore observe that the activation energy of mobile I- ions (0.29 eV) is
highly reproducible for different devices, while the activation energy of
mobile MA+ depends strongly on device fabrication. This quantification of
mobile ions in MAPbI3 will lead to a better understanding of ion migration and
its role in operation and degradation of perovskite solar cells
3D Structure of Microwave Sources from Solar Rotation Stereoscopy vs Magnetic Extrapolations
We use rotation stereoscopy to estimate the height of a steady-state solar
feature relative to the photosphere, based on its apparent motion in the image
plane recorded over several days of observation. The stereoscopy algorithm is
adapted to work with either one- or two-dimensional data (i.e. from images or
from observations that record the projected position of the source along an
arbitrary axis). The accuracy of the algorithm is tested on simulated data, and
then the algorithm is used to estimate the coronal radio source heights
associated with the active region NOAA 10956, based on multifrequency imaging
data over 7 days from the Siberian Solar Radio Telescope near 5.7 GHz, the
Nobeyama Radio Heliograph at 17 GHz, as well as one-dimensional scans at
multiple frequencies spanning the 5.98--15.95 GHz frequency range from the
RATAN-600 instrument. The gyroresonance emission mechanism, which is sensitive
to the coronal magnetic field strength, is applied to convert the estimated
radio source heights at various frequencies, h(f), to information about
magnetic field vs. height B(h), and the results are compared to a magnetic
field extrapolation derived from photospheric magnetic field observations
obtained by Hinode and MDI. We found that the gyroresonant emission comes from
the heights exceeding location of the third gyrolayer irrespectively on the
magnetic extrapolation method; implications of this finding for the coronal
magnetography and coronal plasma physics are discussed.Comment: 26 pages, 13 figures, ApJ accepte
Mathematical model for biomolecular quantification using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy based signal intensity distributions
Adjusting for covariates on a slippery slope: linkage analysis of change over time
BACKGROUND: We analyzed the Genetic Analysis Workshop 13 (GAW13) simulated data to contrast and compare different methods for the genetic linkage analysis of hypertension and change in blood pressure over time. We also examined methods for incorporating covariates into the linkage analysis. We used methods for quantitative trait loci (QTL) linkage analysis with and without covariates and affected sib-pair (ASP) analysis of hypertension followed by ordered subset analysis (OSA), using variables associated with change in blood pressure over time. RESULTS: Four of the five baseline genes and one of the three slope genes were not detected by any method using conventional criteria. OSA detected baseline gene b35 on chromosome 13 when using the slope in blood pressure to adjust for change over time. Slope gene s10 was detected by the ASP analysis and slope gene s11 was detected by QTL linkage analysis as well as by OSA analysis. Analysis of null chromosomes, i.e., chromosomes without genes, did not reveal significant increases in type I error. However, there were a number of genes indirectly related to blood pressure detected by a variety of methods. CONCLUSIONS: We noted that there is no obvious first choice of analysis software for analyzing a complicated model, such as the one underlying the GAW13 simulated data. Inclusion of covariates and longitudinal data can improve localization of genes for complex traits but it is not always clear how best to do this. It remains a worthwhile task to apply several different approaches since one method is not always the best
Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Resolve Lipid Load in High Fat Diet-Induced Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis in Mice by Mitochondria Donation
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) increasingly emerge as an option to ameliorate non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a serious disease, which untreated may progress to liver cirrhosis and cancer. Before clinical translation, the mode of action of MSC needs to be established. Here, we established NASH in an immune-deficient mouse model by feeding a high fat diet. Human bone-marrow-derived MSC were delivered to the liver via intrasplenic transplantation. As verified by biochemical and image analyses, human mesenchymal stromal cells improved high-fat-diet-induced NASH in the mouse liver by decreasing hepatic lipid content and inflammation, as well as by restoring tissue homeostasis. MSC-mediated changes in gene expression indicated the switch from lipid storage to lipid utilization. It was obvious that host mouse hepatocytes harbored human mitochondria. Thus, it is feasible that resolution of NASH in mouse livers involved the donation of human mitochondria to the mouse hepatocytes. Therefore, human MSC might provide oxidative capacity for lipid breakdown followed by restoration of metabolic and tissue homeostasis
Real-space mapping of tailored sheet and edge plasmons in graphene nanoresonators
Plasmons in graphene nanoresonators have many potential applications in photonics and optoelectronics, including room-temperature infrared and terahertz photodetectors, sensors, reflect arrays or modulators1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The development of efficient devices will critically depend on precise knowledge and control of the plasmonic modes. Here, we use near-field microscopy8, 9, 10, 11 between λ0 = 10–12 μm to excite and image plasmons in tailored disk and rectangular graphene nanoresonators, and observe a rich variety of coexisting Fabry–Perot modes. Disentangling them by a theoretical analysis allows the identification of sheet and edge plasmons, the latter exhibiting mode volumes as small as 10−8λ03. By measuring the dispersion of the edge plasmons we corroborate their superior confinement compared with sheet plasmons, which among others could be applied for efficient 1D coupling of quantum emitters12. Our understanding of graphene plasmon images is a key to unprecedented in-depth analysis and verification of plasmonic functionalities in future flatland technologies.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
An orbital-free molecular dynamics study of melting in K_20, K_55, K_92, K_142, Rb_55 and Cs_55 clusters
The melting-like transition in potasium clusters K_N, with N=20, 55, 92 and
142, is studied by using an orbital-free density-functional constant-energy
molecular dynamics simulation method, and compared to previous theoretical
results on the melting-like transition in sodium clusters of the same sizes.
Melting in potasium and sodium clusters proceeds in a similar way: a surface
melting stage develops upon heating before the homogeneous melting temperature
is reached. Premelting effects are nevertheless more important and more easily
established in potasium clusters, and the transition regions spread over
temperature intervals which are wider than in the case of sodium. For all the
sizes considered, the percentage melting temperature reduction when passing
from Na to K clusters is substantially larger than in the bulk. Once those two
materials have been compared for a number of different cluster sizes, we study
the melting-like transition in Rb_55 and Cs_55 clusters and make a comparison
with the melting behavior of Na_55 and K_55. As the atomic number increases,
the height of the specific heat peaks decreases, their width increases, and the
melting temperature decreases as in bulk melting, but in a more pronounced way.Comment: LaTeX file. 6 pages with 17 pictures. Final version with minor
change
Thermodynamics of Na_8 and Na_{20} clusters studied with ab-initio electronic structure methods
We study the thermodynamics of Na_8 and Na_{20} clusters using
multiple-histogram methods and an ab initio treatment of the valence electrons
within density functional theory. We consider the influence of various electron
kinetic-energy functionals and pseudopotentials on the canonical ionic specific
heats. The results for all models we consider show qualitative similarities,
but also significant temperature shifts from model to model of peaks and other
features in the specific-heat curves. The use of phenomenological
pseudopotentials shifts the melting peak substantially (~ 50--100 K) when
compared to ab-initio results. It is argued that the choice of a good
pseudopotential and use of better electronic kinetic-energy functionals has the
potential for performing large time scale and large sized thermodynamical
simulations on clusters.Comment: LaTeX file and EPS figures. 24 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to Phys.
Rev.
Reemerging Leptospirosis, California
Leptospirosis is a reemerging infectious disease in California. Leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonosis throughout the world, though it is infrequently diagnosed in the continental United States. From 1982 to 2001, most reported California cases occurred in previously healthy young adult white men after recreational exposures to contaminated freshwater. We report five recent cases of human leptospirosis acquired in California, including the first documented common-source outbreak of human leptospirosis acquired in this state, and describe the subsequent environmental investigation. Salient features in the California cases include high fever with uniform renal impairment and mild hepatitis. Because leptospirosis can progress rapidly if untreated, this reemerging infection deserves consideration in febrile patients with a history of recreational freshwater exposure, even in states with a low reported incidence of infection
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