2,784 research outputs found
Assessment of Today’s Mobile Banking Applications from the View of Customer Requirements
Mobile banking is a subset of electronic banking which underlies not only the determinants of the banking business but also the special conditions of mobile commerce. This paper analyzes customer needs and expectations from the mobile applications’ view and from the banking view in order to derive a defined set of requirements. Based on these results, existing mobile banking applications are assessed. Their major shortcomings are explained, opportunities for their improvement are shown and the impact of upcoming new technology is discussed. The outcome of the paper is a defined set of customer requirements to mobile banking applications, the identification and assessment of four standard types of current mobile banking applications and an explanation of major failure reasons along with opportunities for their improvement.
Transformation media that turn a narrow slit into a large window
Based on the transformation media theory, the authors propose a way to
replace a wide window with a narrow slit filled with designed metamaterial to
achieve the same transmittance as the one of the window. Numerical simulations
for a two dimensional case are given to illustrate the ideas and the
performance of the design.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Separation of Enantiomers by Inclusion Gas Chromatography: On the Influence of Water in the Molecular Complexation of Methyl 2-Chloropropanoate Enantiomers and the Modified Îł-Cyclodextrin Lipodex-E
A profound influence of water has previously been detected in the complexation of the enantiomers of methyl 2-chloropropanoate (MCP) and the chiral selector octakis(3-O-butanoyl-2,6-di-O-pentyl)-γ-cyclodextrin (Lipodex-E) in NMR and sensor experiments. We therefore investigated the retention behavior of MCP enantiomers on Lipodex-E by gas chromatography (GC) under hydrous conditions. Addition of water to the N2 carrier gas modestly reduced the retention factors k of the enantiomers, notably for the second eluted enantiomer (S)-MCP. This resulted in an overall decrease of enantioselectivity -ΔS,R(ΔG) in the presence of water. The effect was fully reversible. Consequently, for a conditioned column in the absence of residual water, the determined thermodynamic data, i.e. ΔS,R(ΔH) = -12.64 ± 0.08 kJ mol-1 and ΔS,R(ΔS) = -28.18 ± 0.23 J K-1 mol-1, refer to a true 1:1 complexation process devoid of hydrophobic hydration. Chirality 28:124-131, 2015
Calculation of material properties and ray tracing in transformation media
Complex and interesting electromagnetic behavior can be found in spaces with
non-flat topology. When considering the properties of an electromagnetic medium
under an arbitrary coordinate transformation an alternative interpretation
presents itself. The transformed material property tensors may be interpreted
as a different set of material properties in a flat, Cartesian space. We
describe the calculation of these material properties for coordinate
transformations that describe spaces with spherical or cylindrical holes in
them. The resulting material properties can then implement invisibility cloaks
in flat space. We also describe a method for performing geometric ray tracing
in these materials which are both inhomogeneous and anisotropic in their
electric permittivity and magnetic permeability
Design of Electromagnetic Cloaks and Concentrators Using Form-Invariant Coordinate Transformations of Maxwell's Equations
The technique of applying form-invariant, spatial coordinate transformations
of Maxwell's equations can facilitate the design of structures with unique
electromagnetic or optical functionality. Here, we illustrate the
transformation-optical approach in the designs of a square electromagnetic
cloak and an omni-directional electromagnetic field concentrator. The
transformation equations are described and the functionality of the devices is
numerically confirmed by two-dimensional finite element simulations. The two
devices presented demonstrate that the transformation optic approach leads to
the specification of complex, anisotropic and inhomogeneous materials with well
directed and distinct electromagnetic behavior.Comment: submitted to "Photonics and Nanostructures", Special Issue "PECS
VII", Elsevie
Artistic Practices: social interactions and cultural dynamics
This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the link in this record.Book Review of: Zembylas, T. (Ed.). (2014). Artistic Practices: social interactions and cultural dynamics. Routledg
Two sides of the same coin: Opinions and choices of users and non-users related to mobile music listening
Mobile music listening has been explored from several perspectives, however, not much is known about the choices mobile music listeners have to make. Moreover, feedback from non-listeners on music listening has only been given anecdotally and not in the context of research. The aim of this thesis is therefore to investigate what motivates listeners to engage with mobile music and to discover more about the social and personal aspects that influence this engagement, as well as to explore views of non-listeners on mobile music listening. Employing a mixed-methods approach, interviews and participant observation were carried out with eleven mobile music listeners to investigate their thoughts and motivations regarding mobile music listening, and to verify these in practice. Eleven people who do not use portable listening devices were also interviewed about their opinions on mobile music listening. The most striking finding of this thesis is that listeners are not always listeners since they sometimes turn off their devices. The interviews with non-users of portable listening devices confirm that mobile music listening is not always seen as positive but has negative aspects as well, which add an important perspective to understanding this behaviour. Results reveal that mobile music listening is a complex cultural practice that connects to many parts of everyday life. Thus, mobile music listening, and similar practices, need to be studied in context to fully grasp everything that is happening. The new method applied in the first study proved to be beneficial in studying everyday behaviour as it occurs. It helps to gain valuable in-depth information in a short amount of time which is useful for future studies of everyday practices. Finally, results show that mobile music listening is simultaneously more sociable than previously assumed but also perceived as unsociable, which contributes a new perspective to studies of urban behaviour
Transformation media that rotate electromagnetic fields
We suggest a way to manipulate electromagnetic wave by introducing a rotation
mapping of coordinates that can be realized by a specific transformation of
permittivity and permeability of a shell surrounding an enclosed domain. Inside
the enclosed domain, the information from outside will appear as if it comes
from a different angle. Numerical simulations were performed to illustrate
these properties.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
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