Factors Affecting Leaders’ Adoption of Innovation: The Case of Digital Ticketing in the High School Athletic Space

In an environment where technologies continuously evolve, we must seek to understand how sport professionals evaluate innovation. The purpose of this study is to identify critical factors influencing sport organization leaders’ decisions to adopt a technological innovation as the best strategy to gain efficiencies. We explore the factors influencing sport managers’ evaluation of technological innovations— prior conditions (i.e., need identification and individual innovativeness), perceived characteristics of the technology (i.e., relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability), and situational constructs (i.e., trust and cost)— and the effect they have on leaders’ decisions to adopt or reject a given tool. The context of this study was high school athletic directors (N = 628) and their decision to adopt or reject digital ticketing as the best course of action for securing revenue and serving their event attendees. From a theoretical perspective, we extend the conceptual model proposed by Rogers’ (2003) diffusion of innovations theory to include situational constructs, which provide future explorations of technology adoption with the flexibility to account for specific complexities of the situation considered within a wide range of sport settings. From a managerial standpoint, the insights are valuable to companies and professionals developing and promoting innovative technologies

Fragmentation and mechanical performance of tailored nickel-aluminum laminate compacts

The fragmentation of materials is a complex sequence of physical processes in which the kinetic energy is converted into deformation and fracture energy. The incorporation of reactive mixtures adds a third form of energy, chemical energy. The fragmentation and mechanical performance of nickel-aluminum compacts was examined under dynamic conditions using mesostructured powder compacts in which the interfaces between the powders (having initial sizes between 355 and 500 µm) were tailored during the swaging fabrication process. Fragmentation was created in ring samples of this material through explosively driven expansion (generating velocities around 100 m/s) and analyzed through high-speed photography, laser interferometry and soft capture of fragments. Quasi-static and dynamic mechanical testing was conducted to examine the mechanical performance and to provide parameters for the constitutive description. Experimental results are compared with fragmentation theories to characterize the behavior of reactive powders based on the material’s mesostructure by introducing the fracture toughness of the compacts, following the principal elements of the earlier work on tailored aluminum compacts. The fracture toughnesses, which ranged from 0.17 to 0.67 MPa m1/2, are related to the interfacial cohesion between particles and the fragmentation is a direct consequence of these parameters. The mean fragment size is calculated using a modified form of Mott’s theory and successfully compared with experimental results; it ranges from 10 µm to 40 µm. Finite element simulations on Al compacts confirm that the fragmentation increases (smaller fragment sizes) with a decrease in fracture toughness. The methodology developed here can be applied for tailoring the fragmentation of reactive munitions

Is a minor-merger driving the nuclear activity in the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 2110?

We report on a detailed morphological and kinematic study of the isolated non-barred nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 2110. We combine Integral Field optical spectroscopy, with long-slit and WFPC2 imaging available in the HST archive to investigate the fueling mechanism in this galaxy. Previous work (Wilson & Baldwin 1985) concluded that the kinematic center of the galaxy is displaced \~220 pc from the apparent mass center of the galaxy, and the ionized gas follows a remarkably normal rotation curve. Our analysis based on the stellar kinematics, 2D ionized gas velocity field and dispersion velocity, and high spatial resolution morphology at V, I and Halpha reveals that: 1) The kinematic center of NGC 2110 is at the nucleus of the galaxy. 2) The ionized gas is not in pure rotational motion. 3) The morphology of the 2D distribution of the emission line widths suggests the presence of a minor axis galactic outflow. 4) The nucleus is blue-shifted with respect to the stellar systemic velocity, suggesting the NLR gas is out-flowing due to the interaction with the radio jet. 5) The ionized gas is red-shifted ~100 km/s over the corresponding rotational motion south of the nucleus, and 240 km/s with respect to the nuclear stellar systemic velocity. This velocity is coincident with the HI red-shifted absorption velocity detected by Gallimore et al (1999). We discuss the possibility that the kinematics of the south ionized gas could be perturbed by the collision with a small satellite that impacted on NGC 2110 close to the center with a highly inclined orbit. Additional support for this interpretation are the radial dust lanes and tidal debris detected in the V un-sharp masked image. We suggest that a minor-merger may have driven the nuclear activity in NGC 2110.Comment: Full resolution images at http://www.iaa.csic.es/~rosa/preprints/preprints.html or at http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/ApJ/future.htm

New kinematic models for Pacific‐North America Motion from 3 Ma to Present, II: Evidence for a “Baja California Shear Zone”

We use new models for present‐day Pacific‐North America motion to evaluate the tectonics of offshore regions west of the Californias. Vandenburg in coastal Alta California moves at the Pacific plate velocity within uncertainties (∼1 mm/yr) after correcting for strain accumulation on the San Andreas and San Gregorio‐Hosgri faults with a model that includes a viscoelastic lower crust. Modeled and measured velocities at coastal sites in Baja California south of the Agua Blanca fault, a region that most previous models consider Pacific plate, differ by 3–8 mm/yr, with coastal sites moving slower that the Pacific plate. We interpret these discrepancies in terms of strain accumulation on known on‐shore faults, combined with right lateral slip at a rate of 3–4 mm/yr on additional faults offshore peninsular Baja California in the Pacific. Offshore seismicity, offset Quaternary features along the west coast of Baja California, and a discrepancy between the magnetically determined spreading rate in the Gulf Rise and the total plate rate from a geological model provide independent evidence for a “Baja California shear zone.

Terahertz Faraday and Kerr rotation spectroscopy of Bi1−x_{1-x}Sbx_x films in high magnetic fields up to 30 Tesla

We report results of terahertz Faraday and Kerr rotation spectroscopy measurements on thin films of $\text{Bi}_{1-x}\text{Sb}_{x}$, an alloy system that exhibits a semimetal-to-topological-insulator transition as the Sb composition $x$ increases. By using a single-shot time-domain terahertz spectroscopy setup combined with a table-top pulsed mini-coil magnet, we conducted measurements in magnetic fields up to 30~T, observing distinctly different behaviors between semimetallic ($x < 0.07$) and topological insulator ($x > 0.07$) samples. Faraday and Kerr rotation spectra for the semimetallic films showed a pronounced dip that blue-shifted with the magnetic field, whereas spectra for the topological insulator films were positive and featureless, increasing in amplitude with increasing magnetic field and eventually saturating at high fields ($>$20~T). Ellipticity spectra for the semimetallic films showed resonances, whereas the topological insulator films showed no detectable ellipticity. To explain these observations, we developed a theoretical model based on realistic band parameters and the Kubo formula for calculating the optical conductivity of Landau-quantized charge carriers. Our calculations quantitatively reproduced all experimental features, establishing that the Faraday and Kerr signals in the semimetallic films predominantly arise from bulk hole cyclotron resonances while the signals in the topological insulator films represent combined effects of surface carriers originating from multiple electron and hole pockets. These results demonstrate that the use of high magnetic fields in terahertz magnetopolarimetry, combined with detailed electronic structure and conductivity calculations, allows us to unambiguously identify and quantitatively determine unique contributions from different species of carriers of topological and nontopological nature in Bi$_{1-x}$Sb$_x$.Comment: 17 pages, 22 figure

Pharmacological Targeting of Native CatSper Channels Reveals a Required Role in Maintenance of Sperm Hyperactivation

The four sperm-specific CatSper ion channel proteins are required for hyperactivated motility and male fertility, and for Ca2+ entry evoked by alkaline depolarization. In the absence of external Ca2+, Na+ carries current through CatSper channels in voltage-clamped sperm. Here we show that CatSper channel activity can be monitored optically with the [Na+]i-reporting probe SBFI in populations of intact sperm. Removal of external Ca2+ increases SBFI signals in wild-type but not CatSper2-null sperm. The rate of the indicated rise of [Na+]i is greater for sperm alkalinized with NH4Cl than for sperm acidified with propionic acid, reflecting the alkaline-promoted signature property of CatSper currents. In contrast, the [Na+]i rise is slowed by candidate CatSper blocker HC-056456 (IC50 ∼3 µM). HC-056456 similarly slows the rise of [Ca2+]i that is evoked by alkaline depolarization and reported by fura-2. HC-056456 also selectively and reversibly decreased CatSper currents recorded from patch-clamped sperm. HC-056456 does not prevent activation of motility by HCO3− but does prevent the development of hyperactivated motility by capacitating incubations, thus producing a phenocopy of the CatSper-null sperm. When applied to hyperactivated sperm, HC-056456 causes a rapid, reversible loss of flagellar waveform asymmetry, similar to the loss that occurs when Ca2+ entry through the CatSper channel is terminated by removal of external Ca2+. Thus, open CatSper channels and entry of external Ca2+ through them sustains hyperactivated motility. These results indicate that pharmacological targeting of the CatSper channel may impose a selective late-stage block to fertility, and that high-throughput screening with an optical reporter of CatSper channel activity may identify additional selective blockers with potential for male-directed contraception

Mucosally transplanted mesenchymal stem cells stimulate intestinal healing by promoting angiogenesis

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is an emerging field of regenerative medicine; however, it is often unclear how these cells mediate repair. Here, we investigated the use of MSCs in the treatment of intestinal disease and modeled abnormal repair by creating focal wounds in the colonic mucosa of prostaglandin-deficient mice. These wounds developed into ulcers that infiltrated the outer intestinal wall. We determined that penetrating ulcer formation in this model resulted from increased hypoxia and smooth muscle wall necrosis. Prostaglandin I(2) (PGI(2)) stimulated VEGF-dependent angiogenesis to prevent penetrating ulcers. Treatment of mucosally injured WT mice with a VEGFR inhibitor resulted in the development of penetrating ulcers, further demonstrating that VEGF is critical for mucosal repair. We next used this model to address the role of transplanted colonic MSCs (cMSCs) in intestinal repair. Compared with intravenously injected cMSCs, mucosally injected cMSCs more effectively prevented the development of penetrating ulcers, as they were more efficiently recruited to colonic wounds. Importantly, mucosally injected cMSCs stimulated angiogenesis in a VEGF-dependent manner. Together, our results reveal that penetrating ulcer formation results from a reduction of local angiogenesis and targeted injection of MSCs can optimize transplantation therapy. Moreover, local MSC injection has potential for treating diseases with features of abnormal angiogenesis and repair

Contribution of Common Genetic Variants to Risk of Early-Onset Ischemic Stroke

Background and Objectives Current genome-wide association studies of ischemic stroke have focused primarily on late-onset disease. As a complement to these studies, we sought to identify the contribution of common genetic variants to risk of early-onset ischemic stroke. Methods We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of early-onset stroke (EOS), ages 18-59 years, using individual-level data or summary statistics in 16,730 cases and 599,237 nonstroke controls obtained across 48 different studies. We further compared effect sizes at associated loci between EOS and late-onset stroke (LOS) and compared polygenic risk scores (PRS) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) between EOS and LOS. Results We observed genome-wide significant associations of EOS with 2 variants in ABO, a known stroke locus. These variants tag blood subgroups O1 and A1, and the effect sizes of both variants were significantly larger in EOS compared with LOS. The odds ratio (OR) for rs529565, tagging O1, was 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-0.91) in EOS vs 0.96 (95% CI: 0.92-1.00) in LOS, and the OR for rs635634, tagging A1, was 1.16 (1.11-1.21) for EOS vs 1.05 (0.99-1.11) in LOS; p-values for interaction = 0.001 and 0.005, respectively. Using PRSs, we observed that greater genetic risk for VTE, another prothrombotic condition, was more strongly associated with EOS compared with LOS (p = 0.008). Discussion The ABO locus, genetically predicted blood group A, and higher genetic propensity for venous thrombosis are more strongly associated with EOS than with LOS, supporting a stronger role of prothrombotic factors in EOS.Peer reviewe

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29