The kinematics of particles moving in rainbow spacetime

The kinematics of particles moving in rainbow spacetime is studied in this paper. In particular the geodesics of a massive particle in rainbow flat spacetime is obtained when the semi-classical effect of its own energy on the background is taken into account. We show that in general the trajectory of a freely falling particle remains unchanged which is still a straight line as in the flat spacetime. The implication to the Unruh effect in rainbow flat spacetime is also discussed.Comment: 5 page

Voice-mediated text messaging service: a possiblity to enhance current text messaging service

As a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) design practice, this paper first drew on several scenarios for Short-text Messaging Services (SMS) on a mobile telephone technology. And a new prototype for SMS was given to participants. While the participants were using the prototype, the initial scenarios were extended by the participants’ recognition of the new prototype, resulting in new scenarios for the future system development. This lightweight design practice was intended to educate HCI practitioners, in order to show the practicality of the HCI design process – task-artefact cycle framework

Venture Capital and Corporate Governance

We consider data from 16 Asian countries, 16 European countries and the US to investigate the relationship between venture capital and corporate governance. There are five main findings. First, the variable measuring law and order is negatively related to the importance of venture capital finance. Second, the allocation of investment across different stages and different industries depends more on macroeconomic factors than on corporate governance variables. Third, in Low-GDP countries the allocation of venture capital is greater for low technology industries than for high technology industries. Fourth, venture capital boomed and became significant in many countries during the stock market boom or "bubble" of the late 1990's. Finally, a comparison of Asian and European venture capital shows that in Asia there was more investment in early stage projects while in Europe there was more investment in late stage projects. Also, in Europe there was more investment in medical and biotechnology industries.

Slow in Motion but Smart in Learning and Memory: Behavioral Changes in Adult NR3A Knockout Mice

The expression of NMDA receptor subunit NR3A is high in the neonatal brain but low in adults. However, its functional role in the adult brain is obscure. Using wild-type (WT) and NR3A knockout (KO) mice, we show here that NR3A plays imperative roles in multiple behavioral functions in adults. NR3A deletion produced a slow locomotor phenotype with enhanced memory capacities. Hippocampal slices from juvenile and adult NR3A KO mice showed greater long-term potentiation (LTP) compared to WT slices. NR3A deletion resulted in increased expression and phosphorylation of calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII). CaMKII inhibition abrogated the enhanced LTP in NR3A KO slices. NR3A KO mice were also more sensitive to acute and chronic pain. These data reveal for the first time that NR3A, despite its low expression, plays several critical roles in behavioral activities in adults and may be a therapeutic target for modulating behaviors under normal and pathological conditions

The Development and Evaluation of the Preparedness for Employment Scale for people with Personality Disorders

People with Personality Disorders (PD) often experience challenges to employment. Being prepared for work may be an essential part of overcoming these challenges. Identifying the obstacles and the extent one is ready for work may help in the planning of employment support for people with PD. The purpose of this thesis was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Preparedness for Employment Scale for people with Personality Disorders (PES-PD); the first employment-related scale for measuring preparedness for employment for PD. Chapter 1 presents background literature on PD and employment, including PD employment interventions and the importance of validated measures. The first study was a systematic review (Chapter 2) assessing the literature for PD and employment scales; the results showed a lack of appropriate PD scales. Consequently, this thesis conducted two studies; focus groups and an e-Delphi to develop the underlying construct of preparedness for employment and explore potential content to inform a new scale (Chapter 3). A 57-item version of the PES-PD was produced and then piloted (n=109) for its content and face validity in Study 4 (Chapter 4). The results of the pilot study provided a 35-item PES-PD. The final study conducted construct validity and internal consistency on the 35-item PES-PD (n=650) (Chapter 5). The results demonstrated a 3- factor model: Interpersonal (IV), Emotional Regulation (ER), Vitality (V), with good construct validity and internal consistency (Cronbach’s a = .74 [full scale], a = .85 , a = .74, and a = .77 [subscales respectively]). These findings suggest a promising self-report scale demonstrating promising psychometric properties. The PES-PD should be considered for use as an outcome measure, in the planning of employment treatment for PD, and to identify appropriate timing into work. Future research will involve further psychometric evaluation and assessing the clinical utility of the PES-P