The diffusion of IP telephony and vendors' commercialisation strategies

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in the Journal of Information Technology. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available at the link below.The Internet telephony (IP telephony) has been presented as a technology that can replace existing fixed-line services and disrupt the telecommunications industry by offering new low-priced services. This study investigates the diffusion of IP telephony in Denmark by focusing on vendors’ commercialisation strategies. The theory of disruptive innovation is introduced to investigate vendors’ perceptions about IP telephony and explore their strategies that affect the diffusion process in the residential market. The analysis is based on interview data collected from the key market players. The study's findings suggest that IP telephony is treated as a sustaining innovation that goes beyond the typical voice transmission and enables provision of advanced services such as video telephony

Modelling of modular battery systems under cell capacity variation and degradation

We propose a simple statistical model of electrochemical cell degradation based on the general characteristics observed in previous large-scale experimental studies of cell degradation. This model is used to statistically explore the behaviour and lifetime performance of battery systems where the cells are organised into modules that are controlled semi-independently. Intuitively, such systems should offer improved reliability and energy availability compared to monolithic systems as the system ages and cells degrade and fail. To validate this intuition, this paper explores the capacity evolution of populations of systems composed of random populations of cells. This approach allows the probability that a given system design meets a given lifetime specification to be calculated. A cost model that includes the effect of uncertainty in degradation behaviour is introduced and used to explore the cost-benefit trade-offs arising from the interaction of degradation and module size. Case studies of an electric vehicle battery pack and a grid-connected energy storage system are used to demonstrate the use of the model to find lifetime cost-optimum designs. It is observed that breaking a battery energy storage system up into smaller modules can lead to large increases in accessible system capacity and may lead to a decision to use lower-quality, lower-cost cells in a cost-optimum system

The Effect of a Type I Photoinitiator on Cure Kinetics and Cell Toxicity in Projection-Microstereolithography

AbstractProjection-microstereolithography is an additive manufacturing technique based on the spatially controlled solidification of a liquid photopolymer on exposure to digitally manipulated light patterns. This study presents a methodology to evaluate the effect of a type-I photoinitiator on the reaction kinetics in the process and the cytocompatibility of the produced components. While the reaction speed and degree of conversion were heavily dependent on the applied amount of the initiator, a clear toxic effect was observed with all tested concentrations, and a post-processing step of 7 days was required to leach out the initiator residues

Measuring the 3D Clustering of Undetected Galaxies Through Cross Correlation of their Cumulative Flux Fluctuations from Multiple Spectral Lines

We discuss a method for detecting the emission from high redshift galaxies by cross correlating flux fluctuations from multiple spectral lines. If one can fit and subtract away the continuum emission with a smooth function of frequency, the remaining signal contains fluctuations of flux with frequency and angle from line emitting galaxies. Over a particular small range of observed frequencies, these fluctuations will originate from sources corresponding to a series of different redshifts, one for each emission line. It is possible to statistically isolate the fluctuations at a particular redshift by cross correlating emission originating from the same redshift, but in different emission lines. This technique will allow detection of clustering fluctuations from the faintest galaxies which individually cannot be detected, but which contribute substantially to the total signal due to their large numbers. We describe these fluctuations quantitatively through the line cross power spectrum. As an example of a particular application of this technique, we calculate the signal-to-noise ratio for a measurement of the cross power spectrum of the OI(63 micron) and OIII(52 micron) fine structure lines with the proposed Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics. We find that the cross power spectrum can be measured beyond a redshift of z=8. Such observations could constrain the evolution of the metallicity, bias, and duty cycle of faint galaxies at high redshifts and may also be sensitive to the reionization history through its effect on the minimum mass of galaxies. As another example, we consider the cross power spectrum of CO line emission measured with a large ground based telescope like CCAT and 21-cm radiation originating from hydrogen in galaxies after reionization with an interferometer similar in scale to MWA, but optimized for post-reionization redshifts.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures; Replaced with version accepted by JCAP; Added an example of cross correlating CO line emission and 21cm line emission from galaxies after reionizatio

Topological A-Type Models with Flux

We study deformations of the A-model in the presence of fluxes, by which we mean rank-three tensors with antisymmetrized upper/lower indices, using the AKSZ construction. Generically these are topological membrane models, and we show that the fluxes are related to deformations of the Courant bracket which generalize the twist by a closed 3-from $H$, in the sense that satisfying the AKSZ master equation implies the integrability conditions for an almost generalized complex structure with respect to the deformed Courant bracket. In addition, the master equation imposes conditions on the fluxes that generalize $dH=0$. The membrane model can be defined on a large class of $U(m)$- and $U(m) \times U(m)$-structure manifolds, including geometries inspired by $(1,1)$ supersymmetric $\sigma$-models with additional supersymmetries due to almost complex (but not necessarily complex) structures in the target space. Furthermore, we show that the model can be defined on three particular half-flat manifolds related to the Iwasawa manifold. When only $H$-flux is turned on it is possible to obtain a topological string model, which we do for the case of a Calabi-Yau with a closed 3-form turned on. The simplest deformation from the A-model is due to the $(2,0)+ (0,2)$ component of a non-trivial $b$-field. The model is generically no longer evaluated on holomorphic maps and defines new topological invariants. Deformations due to $H$-flux can be more radical, completely preventing auxiliary fields from being integrated out.Comment: 30 pages. v2: Improved Version. References added. v3: Minor changes, published in JHE

The effects of a 12-Month weight loss intervention on cognitive outcomes in adults with overweight and obesity

Obesity is associated with poorer executive functioning and reward sensitivity. Yet, we know very little about whether weight loss through diet and/or increased exercise engagement improves cognitive function. This study evaluated whether weight loss following a dietary and exercise intervention was associated with improved cognitive performance. We enrolled 125 middle-aged adults with overweight and obesity (98 female) into a 12-month behavioral weight loss intervention. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: energy-restricted diet alone, an energy-restricted diet plus 150 min of moderate intensity exercise per week or an energy restricted diet plus 250 min of exercise per week. All participants completed tests measuring executive functioning and/or reward sensitivity, including the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Following the intervention, weight significantly decreased in all groups. A MANCOVA controlling for age, sex and race revealed a significant multivariate effect of group on cognitive changes. Post-hoc ANCOVAs revealed a Group x Time interaction only on IGT reward sensitivity, such that the high exercise group improved their performance relative to the other two intervention groups. Post-hoc ANCOVAs also revealed a main effect of Time, independent of intervention group, on IGT net payoff score. Changes in weight were not associated with other changes in cognitive performance. Engaging in a high amount of exercise improved reward sensitivity above and beyond weight loss alone. This suggests that there is additional benefit to adding exercise into behavioral weight loss regimens on executive functioning, even without additional benefit to weight loss

Supersymmetric solutions of PT-/non-PT-symmetric and non-Hermitian Screened Coulomb potential via Hamiltonian hierarchy inspired variational method

The supersymmetric solutions of PT-symmetric and Hermitian/non-Hermitian forms of quantum systems are obtained by solving the Schrodinger equation for the Exponential-Cosine Screened Coulomb potential. The Hamiltonian hierarchy inspired variational method is used to obtain the approximate energy eigenvalues and corresponding wave functions.Comment: 13 page

The molecular epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in six cities in Britain and Ireland

The authors sequenced the p17 coding regions of the gag gene from 211 patients infected either through injecting drug use (IDU) or by sexual intercourse between men from six cities in Scotland, N. England, N. Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. All sequences were of subtype 5. Phylogenetic analysis revealed substantial heterogeneity in the sequences from homosexual men. In contrast, sequence from over 80% of IDUs formed a relatively tight cluster, distinct both from those of published isolates and of the gay men. There was no large-scale clustering of sequences by city in either risk group, although a number of close associations between pairs of individuals were observed. From the known date of the HIV-1 epidemic among IDUs in Edinburgh, the rate of sequence divergence at synonymous sites is estimated to be about 0.8%. On this basis it has been estimated that the date of divergence of the sequences among homosexual men to be about 1975, which may correspond to the origin of the B subtype epidemic

Tomato: a crop species amenable to improvement by cellular and molecular methods

Tomato is a crop plant with a relatively small DNA content per haploid genome and a well developed genetics. Plant regeneration from explants and protoplasts is feasable which led to the development of efficient transformation procedures. In view of the current data, the isolation of useful mutants at the cellular level probably will be of limited value in the genetic improvement of tomato. Protoplast fusion may lead to novel combinations of organelle and nuclear DNA (cybrids), whereas this technique also provides a means of introducing genetic information from alien species into tomato. Important developments have come from molecular approaches. Following the construction of an RFLP map, these RFLP markers can be used in tomato to tag quantitative traits bred in from related species. Both RFLP's and transposons are in the process of being used to clone desired genes for which no gene products are known. Cloned genes can be introduced and potentially improve specific properties of tomato especially those controlled by single genes. Recent results suggest that, in principle, phenotypic mutants can be created for cloned and characterized genes and will prove their value in further improving the cultivated tomato.

Exogenous NG-hydroxy-l-arginine causes nitrite production in vascular smooth muscle cells in the absence of nitric oxide synthase activity

AbstractNitric oxide (NO) production from exogenous NG-hydroxy-l-arginine (OH-l-Arg) was investigated in rat aortic smooth muscle cells in culture by measuring nitrite accumulation in the culture medium. As well, the interaction between OH-l-Arg and l-arginine uptake via the y+ cationic amino acid transporter was studied. In cells without NO-synthase activity, OH-l-Arg (1–1000 μM) induced a dose-dependent nitrite production with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 18.0 ± 1.5 μM (n = 4–7). This nitrite accumulation was not inhibited by the NO-synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, l-NAME (300 μM). In contrast, it was abolished by miconazole (100 μM), an inhibitor of cytochrome P450. Incubation of vascular smooth muscle cells with LPS (10 μgml) induced an l-name inhibited nitrite accumulation, but did not enhance the OH-l-Arg induced nitrite production. OH-l-Arg and other cationic amino acids, L-lysine and l-ornithine, competitively inhibited [3H]-l-arginine uptake m rat aortic smooth muscle cells, with inhibition constants of 195 ± 23 μM(n = 12), 260 ± 40 μM(n= 5) and 330 ± 10 μM(n = 5), respectively. These results show that OH-l-Arg is recognized by the cationic l-amino acid carrier present in vascular smooth muscle cells and can be oxidized to NO and nitrite in these cells in the absence of NO-synthase, probably by cytochrome P450 or by a reaction involving a cytochrome P450 byproduct