A probabilistic method for gradient estimates of some geometric flows

In general, gradient estimates are very important and necessary for deriving convergence results in different geometric flows, and most of them are obtained by analytic methods. In this paper, we will apply a stochastic approach to systematically give gradient estimates for some important geometric quantities under the Ricci flow, the mean curvature flow, the forced mean curvature flow and the Yamabe flow respectively. Our conclusion gives another example that probabilistic tools can be used to simplify proofs for some problems in geometric analysis.Comment: 22 pages. Minor revision to v1. Accepted for publication in Stochastic Processes and their Application

The effect of pricing online content on perceived information quality in online sites

Direct pricing of online content provides an alternative business model for providing online content. Its merits over the commonly used indirect pricing models are widely recognized. As more and more companies resort to charging users for information that was free in the past, we try to answer the following questions: (1) Will direct pricing online content itself affect the perceived information quality in online sites? (2) Will users’ individual differences moderate the relationship between pricing online contents and perceived information quality? and (3) How does direct pricing of online content affect the perceived information quality in terms of accuracy, completeness, currency and format? Based on theories in IS and marketing, we develop a research model that extends our understanding of perceptions on information quality in information systems. Using an experiment and a survey, we intend to test several hypotheses on the effect of direct pricing of online content on users’ perceptions of information quality. Our results will complement existing IS theories on information quality and also contribute to the practical world by studying online users’ behavior and justifying companies’ current or future decisions on pricing information services

Pharmacokinetic evaluation of Shenfu Injection in beagle dogs after intravenous drip administration

AbstractShenfu Injection (SFI) is a well-defined Chinese herbal formulation that is obtained from red ginseng and processed aconite root. The main active constituents in SFI are ginsenosides and aconitum alkaloids. In this work, ginsenosides (ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rb1 and ginsenoside Rc) and aconitum alkaloids (benzoylmesaconine and fuziline) were used as the index components to explore the pharmacokinetic behavior of SFI. A selective and sensitive HPLC–MS/MS method was developed for the quantification of ginsenosides and aconitum alkaloids in dog plasma and was used to characterize the pharmacokinetics of the five index components after intravenous drip of three different dosages of SFI in beagle dogs. The pharmacokinetic properties of the index components were linear over the dose range of 2–8mL/kg

Galactic Disk Bulk Motions as Revealed by the LSS-GAC DR2

We report a detailed investigation of the bulk motions of the nearby Galactic stellar disk, based on three samples selected from the LSS-GAC DR2: a global sample containing 0.57 million FGK dwarfs out to $\sim$ 2 kpc, a local subset of the global sample consisting $\sim$ 5,400 stars within 150 pc, and an anti-center sample containing $\sim$ 4,400 AFGK dwarfs and red clump stars within windows of a few degree wide centered on the Galactic anti-center. The global sample is used to construct a three-dimensional map of bulk motions of the Galactic disk from the solar vicinity out to $\sim$ 2 kpc with a spatial resolution of $\sim$ 250 pc. Typical values of the radial and vertical components of bulk motion range from $-$15 km s$^{-1}$ to 15 km s$^{-1}$, while the lag behind the circular speed dominates the azimuthal component by up to $\sim$ 15 km s$^{-1}$. The map reveals spatially coherent, kpc-scale stellar flows in the disk, with typical velocities of a few tens km s$^{-1}$. Bending- and breathing-mode perturbations are clearly visible, and vary smoothly across the disk plane. Our data also reveal higher-order perturbations, such as breaks and ripples, in the profiles of vertical motion versus height. From the local sample, we find that stars of different populations exhibit very different patterns of bulk motion. Finally, the anti-center sample reveals a number of peaks in stellar number density in the line-of-sight velocity versus distance distribution, with the nearer ones apparently related to the known moving groups. The "velocity bifurcation" reported by Liu et al. (2012) at Galactocentric radii 10--11 kpc is confirmed. However, just beyond this distance, our data also reveal a new triple-peaked structure.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figures, Accepted for publication in a special issue of Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics on LAMOST science