An optimistic CoGeNT analysis

Inspired by a recently proposed model of millicharged atomic dark matter (MADM), we analyze several classes of light dark matter models with respect to CoGeNT modulated and unmodulated data, and constraints from CDMS, XENON10 and XENON100. After removing the surface contaminated events from the original CoGeNT data set, we find an acceptable fit to all these data (but with the modulating part of the signal making a statistically small contribution), using somewhat relaxed assumptions about the response of the null experiments at low recoil energies, and postulating an unknown modulating background in the CoGeNT data at recoil energies above 1.5 keVee. We compare the fits of MADM---an example of inelastic magnetic dark matter---to those of standard elastically and inelastically scattering light WIMPs (eDM and iDM). The iDM model gives the best fit, with MADM close behind. The dark matter interpretation of the DAMA annual modulation cannot be made compatible with these results however. We find that the inclusion of a tidal debris component in the dark matter phase space distribution improves the fits or helps to relieve tension with XENON constraints.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures; v2: added discussion of dipole-dipole scattering and details of matrix elements; also implications of XENON100 2012 limits. Qualitative conclusions unchanged. Published versio

Paramagnetic anisotropic magnetoresistance in thin films of SrRuO3

SrRuO3 is an itinerant ferromagnet and in its thin film form when grown on miscut SrTiO3 it has Tc of ~ 150 K and strong uniaxial anisotropy. We measured both the Hall effect and the magnetoresistance (MR) of the films as a function of the angle between the applied field and the normal to the films at temperatures above Tc. We extracted the extraordinary Hall effect that is proportional to the perpendicular component of the magnetization and thus the MR for each angle of the applied field could be correlated with the magnitude and orientation of the induced magnetization. We successfully fit the MR data with a second order magnetization expansion, which indicates large anisotropic MR in the paramagnetic state. The extremum values of resistivity are not obtained for currents parallel or perpendicular to the magnetization, probably due to the crystal symmetry.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Mediators Between Conflict Resolution and ISD Program Performance

Program teams can greatly facilitate the successful implementation of client ISD programs. We examined the effects of conflict resolution on ISD program performance. A total of 88 responses from IS program managers from 35 IS offshore outsourcing vendors were solicited, obtained, and analyzed. The results indicated that conflict resolution can enhance the level of communication, mutual support and effort among IS program members. The results further suggested that program performance was improved by increasing communication, promoting mutual supportiveness among program members and augmenting effort towards each other’s projects. Directions for management practice and future research are discussed

The Materiality of Information System Planning Maturity to Project Performance

Research for this paper suggests that there is still an alarming lack of success of IS projects in industry today. Two critical success factors that have been examined to date are project manager performance and IS planning maturity. However, the previous studies have bypassed the relative impact of the two factors in combination. This study proposes and empirically tests a model that examines the relationships between project manager performance and IS planning maturity and their relationship to project success. The results indicate that IS planning maturity is empirically linked positively to project success and to project manager performance. Additionally, the performance of the project manager is also positively related to project outcome. The implication for practitioners is that project management is not an activity limited only to the duration of the development of the IS product but project management must have broader implications for organization management

The Effects of User Partnering and User Non-Support on Project Performance

Information system software development projects suffer from a high failure rate. One of many obstacles faced by project managers is non-supportive users, those not actively sharing in development responsibilities. The coordination activity of early partnering has been proposed in the literature to promote collaboration and enhance user support. The extent of partnering is considered in a model that relates partnering to the risks of user non-support and eventual project success. The model is developed from contingency theory, with residual performance risk as an intermediary variable. A survey of IS project membership provides the data, which indicates that partnering significantly relates to higher user support, less residual risk, and better project performance. Researchers may use variations on the model to examine other barriers to success and the techniques applied to lower the barriers. Practitioners should consider applying partnering techniques to improve software development project performance

The Impact of Organizational Coordination and Climate on Marketing Executives\u27 Satisfaction with Information Systems Services

Information system (IS) managers rely on a number of devices to improve performance and the perception of performance on the part of the user. These techniques can be a variety of tools and organizational structures put in place by various levels of management. Horizontal coordination activities are such a device, one that is intended to improve the communication between users and IS developers. Past research has found an impact of coordination on IS success. However, the climate, general attitudes about the IS function in an organization in which the developers and users operate, can serve as an important moderator. Analysis of a sample of marketing executives indicates that the climate is an important moderator and may impact the ability of structural features to improve perceived performance. Managers must consider the climate as an important feature

From Project Management to Program Management: An Invitation to Investigate Programs Where IT Plays a Significant Role

Information technology is an inherent component of major change initiatives that organizations undertake. However, the increasing technological complexity involved in achieving the benefits of these change initiatives means that organizations must substantially revise management policies and procedures to create and deploy information technology across multiple functional areas and longer time horizons. Industries, governments, professional societies, and early researchers consider prior management practices inadequate and are moving toward practices that promote the integration of multiple functions, projects, environments, and stakeholders to best achieve the benefits of the chosen change. In this editorial, we discuss previous research, highlight key findings, and raise questions about the process of managing multiple projects in change initiatives that contain significant information technology—also known as program management

Persistence Influence for IT Outsourcing: Small and Medium Firms Perspectives of Their Application Service Providers

Given today’s fierce competition among application service providers (ASP), one key question for any ASP is how to retain their customers’ loyalty through partnership establishment and provision of quality of service. However, prior studies focused on the ongoing relationships between the ASP and clients are sparse. This study investigates the perspectives of small and medium firms for their information technology (IT) outsourcing, especially when they are seeking facilitation from the ASP. The study applies the psychological concepts of satisfaction and trust to assess a firm’s loyalty state which can predict the persistence for IT outsourcing. The research questions are: (i) Do the key factors of IT outsourcing enhancement - partnership and quality of service - influence a firm’s IT outsourcing cognition? (ii) Does a small or medium firm’s IT outsourcing cognition - satisfaction and trust - have a positive relationship to its IT outsourcing continuance with an ASP? This study uses the partial least squares approach to develop and test a model that encapsulates these questions. A field study of 158 small and medium firms was conducted. Results show that the key factors of IT outsourcing enhancement and cognition are able to predict a firm’s persistence of IT outsourcing

New Doppler echocardiographic applications for the study of diastolic function

AbstractDoppler echocardiography is one of the most useful clinical tools for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function. Doppler indices of LV filling and pulmonary venous (PV) flow are used not only for diagnostic purposes but also for establishing prognosis and evaluating the effect of therapeutic interventions. The utility of these indices is limited, however, by the confounding effects of different physiologic variables such as LV relaxation, compliance and filling pressure. Since alterations in these variables result in changes in Doppler indices of opposite direction, it is often difficult to determine the status of a given variable when a specific Doppler filling pattern is observed. Recently, color M-mode and tissue Doppler have provided useful insights in the study of diastolic function. These new Doppler applications have been shown to provide an accurate estimate of LV relaxation and appear to be relatively insensitive to the effects of preload compensation. This review will focus on the complementary role of color M-mode and tissue Doppler echocardiography and traditional Doppler indices of LV filling and PV flow in the assessment of diastolic function

The Distribution of Melanocytes in the Leptomeninges of the Human Brain

The purpose of this study was to determine the qualitative and quantitative distribution of melanocytes in human leptomeninges by histochemical and ultrastructural techniques and to search for melanocytes in the mesothelial linings of the pleural and peritoneal cavities. Knowledge of the extracutaneous distribution of pigment cells will facilitate the interpretation of systemic symptoms in depigmentation disorders, such as vitiligo and the Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome.In 15 brains examined, leptomeningeal pigment cells were found principally over the ventrolateral surfaces of the medulla oblongata. Only isolated pigment-containing cells were found in the meninges covering other parts of the brain. The mean number of pigment cells in the medullary meninges of 5 brains was 325/mm2 ± 96. The presence of melanosomes as single, membrane- bound granules in all stages of melanization confirms that the melanin-containing dendritic cells of the leptomeninges are melanocytes and not macrophages.No pigmented cells were observed in the pleural or peritoneal samples examined