Mobile Phone Communication Innovation in Multiple Time and Space Zones: The Case of Hong Kong Culture

Hong Kong is probably one of the very few places in the world where it is generally acceptable to answer incoming mobile phone calls in public places or even in the middle of a business or social meeting. In many other parts of the world, this kind of behaviour would be considered impolite or even rude because it interrupts conversations or activities. There has been considerable research carried out on mobile phones and interruption, as well as mobile phones and culture. However, there is little evidence of research on the impact of culture on the specific notion of interruption caused by mobile phones. To fill this knowledge gap, this paper presents an ethnographic study about how the Hong Kong cultural features of fast pace, deal-making and sense of urgency result in a positive perception towards mobile phone interruption. The findings indicate that Hong Kong people have innovative mobile phone communication strategies, characteristically juggling multiple identities in their stressful work pace, virtually racing with time. Comparison with other contexts is made

El análisis de redes en el estudio de la colaboración científica

El análisis de redes sociales es una herramienta que se usa cada vez más para determinar las relaciones entre los diferentes elementos bibliográficos que componen un trabajo científico. Desde tiempo atrás, las asociaciones entre coautores y entre sus instituciones y países de adscripción, se toman como una formar de medir las colaboraciones en ciencia. En nuestra presentación examinamos cómo el análisis de redes sociales se emplea para lograr una interpretación más acertada de estas relaciones tomando como ejemplo las colaboraciones bilaterales entre los países latinoamericanos.Social network analysis is a tool used increasingly by bibliometricians to determine the relationships between the different bibliographical elements present in a scientific paper. The associations between coauthors or between the institutions or countries they represent, have long been used as an manifestation of collaboration in science. In this presentation we look at how social network analysis is employed to assist in the interpretation of these relationships using examples taken from our work on bilateral collaborations between countries in Latin America

Successful Aging: Using Information Technology to Enhance the Lives of Older Adults

According to the 2007 State of Aging report from the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the population growth of older adults today is unprecedented in American history. Experts agree that the growth is due in part to medical advances that have dramatically changed the landscape of aging in America. Today, chronic diseases have replaced infectious diseases and acute illness as the leading causes of death. In fact, some 80 percent of older adults are believed to have at least one chronic or degenerative disease. The report cites two forces- a longer lifespan and the maturing of the 77 million babyboomers- that will result in the doubling of the population of Americans 65 years and older by 2030. This dramatic change is also expected to raise existing healthcare costs by 25 percent. These factors are bringing attention to the capabilities of aging services in America. The impetus is strong to mitigate factors contributing to age-related, debilitating diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer and in tum to achieve a better quality of life through healthier aging options. Community-based intervention models have achieved some success in addressing these concerns. But, as the aging population continues to grow, opportunities are emerging to integrate information technology in the approach to maximize the ability to age successfully, including opportunities to promote independence and quality of life.Master of Public Healt

Catalyst Schools: The Catholic Ethos and Public Charter Schools

During the past decade, Catholic leaders have been exploring options to revitalize the faltering Catholic school system especially in urban centers. One route being explored by dioceses and religious orders is opening what have been called “religious charter schools.” Though not technically religious schools, they integrate many of the same values and pedagogical approaches as found in faith-based schools. In this article, the authors examined three Chicago public charter schools that are modeled on the successful San Miguel Schools, which are run by the Christian Brothers and are located in impoverished urban areas. After interviewing 40 participants, observing 20 classrooms, and reviewing archival documents, the authors described the challenges faced, tensions experienced, and lessons learned while transferring a Lasallian (Christian Brother) educational model into the public sector. Résumé Au cours des dix dernières années, les responsables catholiques ont cherché par quels moyens revitaliser les écoles catholiques en difficulté, notamment dans les centres urbains. L’une des voies explorées par les diocèses et congrégations religieuses consiste à ouvrir ce que l’on appelle des « écoles religieuses sous contrat ». Bien qu’il ne s’agisse pas véritablement d’écoles religieuses, elles intègrent un grand nombre des valeurs et approches pédagogiques que l’on trouve dans les écoles confessionnelles. Dans cet article, les auteurs ont examiné trois écoles publiques sous contrat à Chicago, qui ont pris comme modèle le succès des écoles de San Miguel, dirigées par les Frères des écoles chrétiennes et situées dans des secteurs urbains déshérités. Après avoir interviewé 40 participants, observé 20 salles de classe et examiné des documents d’archives, les auteurs ont décrit les difficultés à surmonter, les tensions ressenties et les enseignements retirés lorsqu’un modèle éducatif lassalien (les Frères des écoles chrétiennes) est transféré dans un établissement public. Resumen Durante la última década, líderes católicos han explorado opciones para revitalizar el defectuoso sistema escolar católico, especialmente en centros urbanos. Las diócesis y órdenes religiosas han explorado una ruta: abrir lo que se llaman “escuelas chárter religiosas”. Aunque técnicamente no son escuelas religiosas, integran muchos de los mismos valores y enfoques pedagógicos tal y como se encuentran en las escuelas religiosas. En el presente artículo, los autores examinan tres escuelas chárter públicas de Chicago que se basan en el modelo exitoso de las escuelas San Miguel, gestionadas por los Christian Brothers (Hermanos Cristianos) y situada en zonas urbanas pobres. Tras entrevistar a 40 participantes, observar 20 aulas y revisar documentos de archivo, los autores describen los retos a los que se enfrentaron, las tensiones que experimentaron y las lecciones que aprendieron al transferir un modelo educativo lasaliano (Hermanos Cristianos) al sector público

Enhanced Characterization of Drug Metabolism and the Influence of the Intestinal Microbiome: A Pharmacokinetic, Microbiome, and Untargeted Metabolomics Study.

Determining factors that contribute to interindividual and intra-individual variability in pharmacokinetics (PKs) and drug metabolism is essential for the optimal use of drugs in humans. Intestinal microbes are important contributors to variability; however, such gut microbe-drug interactions and the clinical significance of these interactions are still being elucidated. Traditional PKs can be complemented by untargeted mass spectrometry coupled with molecular networking to study the intricacies of drug metabolism. To show the utility of molecular networking on metabolism we investigated the impact of a 7-day course of cefprozil on cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity using a modified Cooperstown cocktail and assessed plasma, urine, and fecal data by targeted and untargeted metabolomics and molecular networking in healthy volunteers. This prospective study revealed that cefprozil decreased the activities of CYP1A2, CYP2C19, and CYP3A, decreased alpha diversity and increased interindividual microbiome variability. We further demonstrate a relationship between the loss of microbiome alpha diversity caused by cefprozil and increased drug and metabolite formation in fecal samples. Untargeted metabolomics/molecular networking revealed several omeprazole metabolites that we hypothesize may be metabolized by both CYP2C19 and bacteria from the gut microbiome. Our observations are consistent with the hypothesis that factors that perturb the gut microbiome, such as antibiotics, alter drug metabolism and ultimately drug efficacy and toxicity but that these effects are most strongly revealed on a per individual basis

Fractonic order in infinite-component Chern-Simons gauge theories

2+1D multi-component U(1) gauge theories with a Chern-Simons (CS) term provide a simple and complete characterization of 2+1D Abelian topological orders. In this paper, we extend the theory by taking the number of component gauge fields to infinity and find that they can describe interesting types of 3+1D "fractonic" order. "Fractonic" describes the peculiar phenomena that point excitations in certain strongly interacting systems either cannot move at all or are only allowed to move in a lower dimensional sub-manifold. In the simplest cases of infinite-component CS gauge theory, different components do not couple to each other and the theory describes a decoupled stack of 2+1D fractional Quantum Hall systems with quasi-particles moving only in 2D planes -- hence a fractonic system. We find that when the component gauge fields do couple through the CS term, more varieties of fractonic orders are possible. For example, they may describe foliated fractonic systems for which increasing the system size requires insertion of nontrivial 2+1D topological states. Moreover, we find examples which lie beyond the foliation framework, characterized by 2D excitations of infinite order and braiding statistics that are not strictly local

Dissecting the genetic basis for seed coat mucilage heteroxylan biosynthesis in plantago ovata using gamma irradiation and infrared spectroscopy

Seeds from the myxospermous species Plantago ovata release a polysaccharide-rich mucilage upon contact with water. This seed coat derived mucilage is composed predominantly of heteroxylan (HX) and is utilized as a gluten-free dietary fiber supplement to promote human colorectal health. In this study, a gamma-irradiated P. ovata population was generated and screened using histological stains and Fourier Transform Mid Infrared (FTMIR) spectroscopy to identify putative mutants showing defects in seed coat mucilage HX composition and/or structure. FTMIR analysis of dry seed revealed variation in regions of the IR spectra previously linked to xylan structure in Secale cereale (rye). Subsequent absorbance ratio and PCA multivariate analysis identified 22 putative mutant families with differences in the HX IR fingerprint region. Many of these showed distinct changes in the amount and subtle changes in structure of HX after mucilage extrusion, while 20% of the putative HX mutants identified by FTMIR showed no difference in staining patterns of extruded mucilage compared to wild-type. Transcriptional screening analysis of two putative reduced xylan in mucilage (rxm) mutants, rxm1 and rxm3, revealed that changes in HX levels in rxm1 correlate with reduced transcription of known and novel genes associated with xylan synthesis, possibly indicative of specific co-regulatory units within the xylan biosynthetic pathway. These results confirm that FTMIR is a suitable method for identifying putative mutants with altered mucilage HX composition in P. ovata, and therefore forms a resource to identify novel genes involved in xylan biosynthesis.Matthew R. Tucker, Chao Ma, Jana Phan, Kylie Neumann, Neil J. Shirley, Michael G. Hahn, Daniel Cozzolino and Rachel A. Burto

Revealing Nanoscale Solid-Solid Interfacial Phenomena for Long-Life and High-Energy All-Solid-State Batteries.

Enabling long cyclability of high-voltage oxide cathodes is a persistent challenge for all-solid-state batteries, largely because of their poor interfacial stabilities against sulfide solid electrolytes. While protective oxide coating layers such as LiNbO3 (LNO) have been proposed, its precise working mechanisms are still not fully understood. Existing literature attributes reductions in interfacial impedance growth to the coating's ability to prevent interfacial reactions. However, its true nature is more complex, with cathode interfacial reactions and electrolyte electrochemical decomposition occurring simultaneously, making it difficult to decouple each effect. Herein, we utilized various advanced characterization tools and first-principles calculations to probe the interfacial phenomenon between solid electrolyte Li6PS5Cl (LPSCl) and high-voltage cathode LiNi0.85Co0.1Al0.05O2 (NCA). We segregated the effects of spontaneous reaction between LPSCl and NCA at the interface and quantified the intrinsic electrochemical decomposition of LPSCl during cell cycling. Both experimental and computational results demonstrated improved thermodynamic stability between NCA and LPSCl after incorporation of the LNO coating. Additionally, we revealed the in situ passivation effect of LPSCl electrochemical decomposition. When combined, both these phenomena occurring at the first charge cycle result in a stabilized interface, enabling long cyclability of all-solid-state batteries

Rural women, technology, and self-management of chronic illness

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the differences in the psychosocial status of 3 groups of chronically ill rural women participating in a computer intervention. The 3 groups were: intense intervention, less-intense intervention, and control. At baseline and following the intervention, measures were taken for social support, self-esteem, empowerment, self-efficacy, depression, stress, and loneliness. ANCOVA results showed group differences for social support and self-efficacy among the overall group. The findings differed for a vulnerable subgroup, with significant betweengroup differences for social support and loneliness. It was concluded that a computer-delivered intervention can improve social support and self-efficacy and reduce loneliness in rural women, enhancing their ability to self-manage and adapt to chronic illness. Keywords rural; chronic illness; computer-based intervention; psychosocial outcomes Adapting one's life to accommodate the challenges of a chronic illness and perfecting one's self-management skills require constant effort and adjustment, especially in the psychosocial realm. The meaning of this statement is clearer if it is expressed by someone who faces the challenge on a daily basis: When we have an illness that continues, we have no choice but to change. [But] I like to continue to grow and change at MY pace. When you have an illness, I think it forces you to change and grow in different ways than what we would choose normally. It is not necessarily bad, but it is against our normal will. (Kralik, 2002, p. 152) Learning to adjust, with some equanimity, to lifestyle changes imposed by long-term illness is a challenge. For rural women with chronic conditions who live in relative isolation and have limited access to support systems and health services, appropriate self-care is vital. These women often have difficulty finding the support and assistance they need in order to adapt to the alterations in physical functioning, the loss of control over life circumstance, and the attendant emotional strai