A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TARGETED UPDATING OF SOFTWARE ON DEVICES

The present disclosure relates to a method for updating target devices (104). The method comprises transmitting change message to the target devices (104). The change message comprises address data and condition change data associated with updating a condition of the target devices (104). Further, the method comprises receiving an update message from the target devices (104). The update message comprises update data associated with a status of updating the condition. Furthermore, the method comprises determining whether the condition of the target devices (104) is updated. Moreover, the method comprises transmitting a validation test message to the target devices (104). The validation test message comprises validation inquiry data associated with determining whether the condition of the target devices (104) is valid. Thereafter, the method comprises receiving a validation response message comprising validation response data, where the validation response data is indicative of validation of the condition of the target devices (104)

Replacing Members with Managers? Mutualism among Membership and Nonmembership Advocacy Organizations in the United States

Associations with a professional staff but no members (nonmembership advocacy organizations, or NMAOs) are the subject of lively debate. Many argue that their proliferation has allowed an expansion of advocacy without an accompanying growth in civic engagement. This article asks if there has been significant recent growth of NMAOs and if those organizations have displaced membership advocacy organizations (MAOs). The authors find no evidence for a proportional increase of NMAOs since the 1960s. Further, among all organizations in three populationspeace, women's issues, and human rightsNMAOs have not displaced MAOs. In particular, the authors find that MAO density shapes NMAO founding, as membership groups provide a base for professional advocacy. These findings challenge the notion that U.S. civic life has undergone a systemic transformation away from organizational forms that promote civic engagement

A Primary Study of Attributes of Innovations during the Prediffusion Stage

We provide a theoretical model for testing the adoption of information technology during the prediffusion stage (research and development and early trials) of an innovation. The model was tested using Linux based applications of Open Source Software (OSS). The results of surveying 1000 members of the Linux User Groups WorldWide (LUGWW) are presented. This study is significant because it provides empirical evidence that attributes of innovations correlate with adoption during the prediffusion stage (research and development) of an innovation. This extends diffusion of innovations research and has important implications for DOI theory and practice

New Constraints on the Efficiencies of Ram-Pressure Stripping and the Tidal Disruption of Satellite Galaxies

Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) it has recently been shown that the red fraction of satellite galaxies increases with stellar mass. Semi-analytical models, however, predict red satellite fractions that are independent of stellar mass, and much higher than observed. It has been argued that this discrepancy owes to the fact that the models assume that satellite galaxies are instantaneously stripped of their hot gas reservoirs at the moment they are accreted into a bigger halo. In this letter we show that the fraction of red satellites can be brought in better agreement with the data by simply decreasing this stripping efficiency. However, this also results in a red fraction of massive centrals that is much too low. This owes to the fact that the massive centrals now accrete satellite galaxies that are bluer and more gas-rich. However, if a significant fraction of low mass satellite galaxies is tidally disrupted before being accreted by their central host galaxy, as suggested by recent studies, the red fractions of both centrals and satellites can be reproduced reasonably well. A problem remains with the red fraction of centrals of intermediate mass, which is likely to reflect an oversimplified treatment of AGN feedback.Comment: A few discussions added, updated to match the accepted version to ApJ Letter

Results from Solar Reflective Band End-to-End Testing for VIIRS F1 Sensor Using T-SIRCUS

Verification of the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) End-to-End (E2E) sensor calibration is highly recommended before launch, to identify any anomalies and to improve our understanding of the sensor on-orbit calibration performance. E2E testing of the Reflective Solar Bands (RSB) calibration cycle was performed pre-launch for the VIIRS Fight 1 (F1) sensor at the Ball Aerospace facility in Boulder CO in March 2010. VIIRS reflective band calibration cycle is very similar to heritage sensor MODIS in that solar illumination, via a diffuser, is used to correct for temporal variations in the instrument responsivity. Monochromatic light from the NIST T-SIRCUS was used to illuminate both the Earth View (EV), via an integrating sphere, and the Solar Diffuser (SD) view, through a collimator. The collimator illumination was cycled through a series of angles intended to simulate the range of possible angles for which solar radiation will be incident on the solar attenuation screen on-orbit. Ideally, the measured instrument responsivity (defined here as the ratio of the detector response to the at-sensor radiance) should be the same whether the EV or SD view is illuminated. The ratio of the measured responsivities was determined at each collimator angle and wavelength. In addition, the Solar Diffuser Stability Monitor (SDSM), a ratioing radiometer designed to track the temporal variation in the SD BRF by direct comparison to solar radiation, was illuminated by the collimator. The measured SDSM ratio was compared to the predicted ratio. An uncertainty analysis was also performed on both the SD and SDSM calibrations

The Ice in Voices:Understanding negative content in auditory-verbal hallucinations

Negative voice-content is the best sole predictor of whether the hearer of an auditory-verbal hallucination will experience distress/impairment necessitating contact with mental health services. Yet, what causes negative voice-content and how interventions may reduce it remains poorly understood. This paper offers definitions of negative voice content and considers what may cause negative voice-content. We propose a framework in which adverse life-events may underpin much negative voice-content, a relation which may be mediated by me- chanisms including hypervigilance, reduced social rank, shame and self-blame, dissociation, and altered emo- tional processing. At a neurological level, we note how the involvement of the amygdala and right Broca's area could drive negative voice-content. We observe that negative interactions between hearers and their voices may further drive negative voice-content. Finally, we consider the role of culture in shaping negative voice-content. This framework is intended to deepen and extend cognitive models of voice-hearing and spur further devel- opment of psychological interventions for those distressed by such voices. We note that much of the relevant research in this area remains to be performed or replicated. We conclude that more attention needs to be paid to methods for reducing negative voice-content, and urge further research in this important area