A novel romance : conceptualising emotional attachment as a barrier to adoption

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) aims to understand consumers&rsquo; adoption of new technologies. Some 30 years after TAM was first proposed, it is still widely used today. This paper proposes an extended version of the TAM, with the primary addition to it being the construct of consumers&rsquo; emotional attachment to an existing product. The expanded TAM, Technology Acceptance Model with Emotional Attachment (TAME), is applied to the understudied area of e-book reader technology and its adoption by consumers who read for pleasure versus for academic purposes, as has been the focus of past research on e-book readers. The extended model considers consumers&rsquo; emotional attachment to paper books (pbooks) as a likely barrier to the take up of e-book reader technology.<br /

Topological mechanics of gyroscopic metamaterials

Topological mechanical metamaterials are artificial structures whose unusual properties are protected very much like their electronic and optical counterparts. Here, we present an experimental and theoretical study of an active metamaterial -- comprised of coupled gyroscopes on a lattice -- that breaks time-reversal symmetry. The vibrational spectrum of these novel structures displays a sonic gap populated by topologically protected edge modes which propagate in only one direction and are unaffected by disorder. We present a mathematical model that explains how the edge mode chirality can be switched via controlled distortions of the underlying lattice. This effect allows the direction of the edge current to be determined on demand. We envision applications of these edges modes to the design of loss-free, one-way, acoustic waveguides and demonstrate this functionality in experiment

Robert Cavally\u27s Edition of G. F. Handel\u27s Solo Flute Sonatas: An Evaluation and Historical Perspective.

Teachers are frequently faced with the difficult dilemma of determining what edition of a particular Baroque work they should recommend to their students. This decision is becoming even more difficult as modern publishers continue to produce new editions of standard repertoire. Such is the case with G. F. Handel\u27s solo sonatas, often referred to as his Opus 1 . One publication of these sonatas that has been popular for over fifty years among flutists and flute teachers is G. F. Handel: Seven Sonatas and Famous Largo for Flute and Piano, edited by Robert Cavally (c. 1941). Because this edition was prepared prior to the explosion of exhaustive research of Baroque performance practice, the validity of this edition as a modern performing edition has been questioned. This study evaluates the worth and usefulness of Cavally\u27s edition and assesses how accurately Cavally\u27s edition reflects the content of Handel\u27s original version(s). It also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the edition and determines what purpose it serves flutists today. To achieve these goals, this study surveys the chronology and publication history of Handel\u27s solo sonatas. It attempts to sort out, in a way comprehensible to performers and teachers, the many complexities surrounding these issues. It compares Handel\u27s autograph manuscripts, contemporary manuscript copies, and the early editions in an attempt to understand the relationship between them. As a result, a clearer distinction between what Handel wrote and Cavally\u27s editorial procedure can be determined

Gender, time and ‘waiting’ in everyday academic life

No abstract available

An evaluation of the largest resource efficiency club programme in England (2005-2008) to underpin future design and delivery of a cost effective policy instrument.

In England, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) allocated £5 million over three years from 2005 to 2008 to support the establishment of a wide range of innovative Resource Efficiency Clubs (RECs). During the funding period (2005 – 2008) the programme funded 70 RECs with 45 remaining active at the end of the three years (2008). Some 1,330 businesses were active in the 70 RECs with 1,014 providing data including potential and actual savings. In excess of £50 million of potential savings were identified and by the end of 2008 some £25 million were achieved. The total savings to total grant ratio for all RECs was, by 2008, some 5.8; this was in excess of the original ratio set by Defra. The Programme made clear to key decision makers that well designed RECs are a key policy instrument. The research showed that the future for RECs in England is uncertain and strategists should consider innovative ways to fund their continued contribution to national, regional and local practice

The Medical Library Association Data Services Competency: A Framework for Data Science and Open Science Skills Development

Increasingly, users of health and biomedical libraries need assistance with challenges they face in working with their own and others' data. Librarians have a unique opportunity to provide valuable support and assistance in data science and open science but may need to add to their expertise and skill set to have the most impact. This article describes the rationale for and development of the Medical Library Association Data Services Competency, which outlines a set of five key skills for data services and provides a course of study for gaining these skills

Convergent evolution of pregnancy-specific glycoproteins in human and horse

Pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) are members of the carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule (CEACAM) family that are secreted by trophoblast cells. PSGs may modulate immune, angiogenic and platelet responses during pregnancy. Until now, PSGs are only found in species that have a highly invasive (hemochorial) placentation including humans, mice and rats. Surprisingly, analyzing the CEACAM gene family of the horse, which has a non-invasive epitheliochorial placenta, with the exception of the transient endometrial cups, we identified equine CEACAM family members that seem to be related to PSGs of rodents and primates. We identified seven genes that encode secreted PSG-like CEACAMs. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that they evolved independently from an equine CEACAM1-like ancestor rather than from a common PSG-like ancestor with rodents and primates. Significantly, expression of PSG-like genes (CEACAM44, CEACAM48, CEACAM49 and CEACAM55) was found in non-invasive as well as invasive trophoblast cells such as purified chorionic girdle cells and endometrial cup cells. Chorionic girdle cells are highly invasive trophoblast cells that invade the endometrium of the mare where they form endometrial cups and are in close contact with maternal immune cells. Therefore, the microenvironment of invasive equine trophoblast cells has striking similarities to the microenvironment of trophoblast cells in hemochorial placentas, suggesting that equine PSG-like CEACAMs and rodent and primate PSGs have undergone convergent evolution. This is supported by our finding that equine PSG-like CEACAM49 exhibits similar activity to certain rodent and human PSGs in a functional assay of platelet–fibrinogen binding. Our results have implications for understanding the evolution of PSGs and their functions in maternal–fetal interactions

Natural capital metrics. Phase 1 final report: central components

This is a condensed version of the Natural Capital Metrics (NCMet) project Phase 1 report. It focuses on three key components: i) the conceptual framework, ii) development of six example evidence-chains and their associated data and model inventories, and iii) early development work towards a Natural Capital Portal to provide access to relevant data, models and maps of natural capital. All outputs are preliminary and are undergoing considerable refinement in the second phase of the project. Phase 2 outputs will be available in 2018